When My Heart Flutters
by goldenponyboy
Summary: Paul is just a normal guy with a normal life. Well, it's almost normal. Normal enough for him. But when he finds a girl on his way to, things begin to get interesting.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter I

**Hello peoples. This is your Goldenponyboy here with another MLP fic. This idea has been flying around my head for a while. So, in honor to show that I'm still alive, I wanted to start it. Therefore, I bring you ****_When My Heart Flutters._**

**I only own my OC(s).**

"Paul! Get up! You're going to be late."

Paul groaned as he began to sit up in his bed. He hated being woken up from any dreams. But none more than when he was dreaming about his favorite person...well, pony...of all time: Fluttershy.

He got up, threw on his gray t-shirt, blue jogging jacket, black shorts, and black athletic pants before going to the bathroom to freshen up a little. Looking in the mirror, he saw the same thing he saw everyday: Brown eyes, brownish-blonde hair (he is a natural brown. The blonde was because of a bleaching accident), and glasses. He didn't hate his looks, but it's very rare that a chick digs a, quote-unquote, "nerd."

"Paul, get your lazy self down here, now!"

"Love you too, dad." His dad and him had never seen eye to eye. Even less since he became a fan of the show.

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. When he first heard about it, he thought, _Okay, my sisters are going to have a new favorite show._ But, when he actually sat down and watched it with his youngest sister, he instantly fell in love with it. He denied it at first, but his friends eventually weaseled it out of him.

He passed his father on his way down to eat breakfast. He was walking out the door, leaving for work, but not before giving Paul a look that said "behave today, or else." "I'll be there to pick you up from track today."

"What's wrong with Grandpa?"

"I told him not to worry about it."

_So, _Paul thought, _I have no way to get home tonight. I guess I'll have to crash at Luke's again._ Like I said before, Paul and his father didn't see eye to eye. He was just about left in the city of Columbus, Ohio, when his family went on vacation to the city. But his mother came to the rescue, forcing his father to turn around and pick him up.

Anywho, Paul found himself that morning out the door and waiting at the end of his country driveway, waiting for the school bus to pick him, his brother, and his older-younger sister up. He would have drove if his father would have let him get a driver's license, but whatever. The bus was cheaper anyway.

"So, Paul, are you nervous?" His brother asked him.

"Nervous? Nah."

"But isn't your test today and another Friday? Not to mention your track meet."

"Yeah, but I think I will manage." The conversation would have lasted longer, but the bus rolled up right then. Paul got on the bus and then began to engage in his "favorite" pass time: Window-watching. One of the few things that gave him a sense of peace was this.

However, today was something special. Though he didn't know it yet. All he wanted to do was get through the day, take a shower, watch MLP, then go to bed. What happened, however, was completely different.

It all started as the bus was driving down to one of the other bus stops before heading into town. Paul just sat there in a trance-like state when he saw something in the grass. It looked like a girl about his age, lying there unconscious.

Now, one of the very defining qualities about Paul was that he felt sorry for just about anyone in trouble. He had been called a stalker several times because of this, but he didn't care. He only cared about others.

Anyway, he got up and walked to the front of the bus. "Excuse me," he said to the bus driver.

"What is it now, Paul? See a homeless person?"

"Ha, ha. Please, just stop the bus for a second."

"I've got a schedule to keep kid."

"Yeah, but so does death."

"I'm not stopping this bus."

Paul looked him straight in the eye. This made him slow down the bus to a stop and turn to him. "There's nothing that is going to-"

Paul reached for the lever to open the door. "Too late!" he cheered before throwing the door open and hopping out.

"Paul! Get back on this bus." He didn't listen. "Get back on this bus or your father will hear about this!"

"Is that a threat?" Paul just kept running back to where he saw the girl.

When he reached her, the first thing he did was blush. A lot. To give you an example, imagine a ripe tomato dipped in ketchup. Please excuse my irony. And why did he blush? Well, it had to do with the lack of clothes she had on her body.

Shaking out of this second trance, Paul yanked off his jacket and athletic pants and but them on her, careful not to wake her up. Once that was done, he could get a better look at her. She looked normal in every aspect. Well, except for one. Her hair was bright pink. And, contrary to what one would think, he could tell that it wasn't dyed.

Slowly and carefully picking her up bridal-style, he began to walk back to his house. It wasn't too far from where he was, but it was about twice as far with the dead-weight of this mystery girl in his arms. "No time like the present," he said, and began the tread home.

Well, almost. He didn't get as far as the closest intersection before the bus drove up next to him. The door opened and the driver shouted, "I'm giving you one more chance."

"And I'm telling you, get lost!" That's when he put his track skills into action. He wasn't by any means the fastest member of the track team, but he could hold his own when he needed to. And a bus chasing you is some good motivation, if you catch my drift.

Soon, the bus left him alone and he continued to tread back home. It was then that he looked down at the girl in his arms. "Who are you?" he asked. Of course, she didn't answer, but it would have been helpful.

He pondered this the whole way back to his house. Running up to the door, he banged on it loudly. Soon, his mother came and answered it. "Paul? Why aren't you at school?"

"I thought she was a little more important." He nodded to the girl in his arms.

"Who is she?"

"I don't know."

"Well, bring her in." Paul obliged and lied the girl down on one of the couches. "Why is she wearing your clothes?"

Again, Paul's cheeks flared red. "Because she has nothing under them."

His mother turned around. "You looked at a naked girl?"

"I didn't know she was when I was on the bus."

"Wait, the bus driver didn't let you off?"

"What's more important? School or someone who might need help?"

"Still, you should have let the bus driver take care of this."

"I got off the bus, helped her, began carrying her here, and the bus driver didn't give a dang."

His mother shook her head. "You realize that you'll have to make up the test, right?"

"Can we worry about this, know?"

She walked out into the kitchen to get a warm washcloth to put on her head while Paul stayed by her side, holding her hand and stroking her hair. "Whoever you are, you're safe in my care." It was then that he noticed something around her neck: a pendent, cut in the shape of a butterfly. Carefully, reaching for it, he took it in his hand and turned it over. What was on the back shocked him and, without thinking, he pulled it off her neck and stuffed it in his pocket.

The pendant had one word inscribed in it. But to him, it was the most important word ever

Fluttershy.

**Chapter Complete. Well, there's one way to start a fic. Like I said, I just wanted to but something up because I've had a lot to do lately. So, R&R AND ADIOS!**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter II

**Hello peoples. I've got another chapter up. And, I've got to say, I'm slightly amazed at myself. I guess that I found the right mixture of helping N out with his script and writing my own fic. Oh, and Voltzs, I decided to take you up and your offer, but I tweaked the details a tad bit, mainly the age. So, without further ado, THE FIC IS THE THING!**

**I only own my OC(s). Any others belong to their appropriate owners.**

Despite his begging, Paul was sent back on his way to school. He wanted to stay there with the now human Fluttershy, maybe asking her a few question when she woke up, but his mother insisted that he at least get through the day.

"She'll be fine under my care. Don't worry about her."

_Don't worry?_ he thought on the car ride to school. _Don't worry! Perhaps my favorite pony of all time is in my house and she tells me not to worry!_ Okay, so he was a bit of a worry wort. But hey, like you wouldn't worry if your favorite character of all time was in your own house.

To say the least, his test didn't go well. He couldn't concentrate on anything, but somehow, he finished it, turned it in, and then headed to the gym. Since it was the end of the year tests, the students were aloud to leave after they had turned in the test and head to open gym. **(A/N: Wish my school did that).**

When he got there, he met up with one of his friends. Tristan was a sixteen year old high school student that just happened to put up with Paul. He's a little bit taller than Paul with medium length brown hair. His outfit is almost always the same: black goggles around his neck, black baggy pants with a chain, black shirt with a red line running down it from shoulder to hip, and black and red boots.

When Paul got there, Tristan ran over to him. "Hey, little buddy. You weren't on the bus this morning."

Paul looked up at him. "Oh, well, I was. I just...hopped off early."

"For what reason?"

"Well...I...found...something."

"What...did...you...find?" Tristan knew that Paul wasn't one to just give information out, but he didn't want to pass up the opportunity to tease the little pause thing he did when he spoke.

"Uh...I...may have found..." he trailed off here.

"Sorry, what was that?"

"Fruffershy."

"Excuse me? Me no spreaken the non-English, mi amigo."

Paul sighed. Pulling on his shirt to bring his ear closer, he whispered, "Fluttershy."

Tristan chuckled and pulled away. "Okay, maybe you were up a little late last night watching MLP."

"I thought you would say that." Paul grinned mischievously as he reached into his pocket. "This was around her neck when I found her. Could you, perhaps, tell me what it says?"

Tristan played along and red the back. "_Fluttershy._ That doesn't prove anything."

"What's it made of?"

Rolling his eyes, he looked it over a few times. Then a few more times. Then a few more... "What the heck?"

"Uh-huh." Paul nodded in satisfaction. "That's ruby right there. And you thought I was crazy."

Tristan was dumbstruck. "H-how did...I mean...why..." Then he dropped his arms and then looked Paul straight in the eye. "What if this is like _My Little Dashie_?"

The looked of triumph slid from Paul's face. He hadn't even given that any thought. "Uh...I can hope that it isn't."

"Have you even began talking with her yet?"

"As far as I know, she's still unconscious on my living room couch."

He was, indeed, correct in saying this. Paul's mother constantly monitored the pink-haired girl. She looked through all the clothes in the house to try and find her an outfit other than the scant one she currently had on.

In the end, since Paul's clothes were only slightly large on her, Fluttershy ended up wearing a black T-shirt with a large bow tie on it and gray sweatpants. Over this was lied a pink blanket with flowers on it.

Paul's mother did all she could to make the girl feel comfortable, but knowing little about her condition, didn't know if she was too cold or too warm. So the blanket took shifts on and off.

"The poor thing," she said once as she took off the blanket. She had knocked back some of her hair to reveal a bruise on her forehead. "What have you been through?"

Paul sat through his classes thinking the same thing. What had she been through? How had she gotten here? And...

His thoughts were shaken during track practice after school when a discus flew past his ear.

Mark ran up to get it. "Paul! Wake up! What's wrong with you?"

"What? Oh, nothing."

"Like heck, it's nothing. You've been out of it all freaking day. I don't think you've ever thought this hard about anything."

"I'm just a little worried about something."

"Can't it wait until after track?"

After track? That's when it hit him. That's when the question that had been burning at his heart and soul the whole day. The question that the answer might end up in the harm of Fluttershy.

What if his father found out?

**Chapter Complete. Yeah, sorry that this one isn't that great, but I just got back from camping so I cared very little. Anyway, R&R AND ADIOS!**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter III

**I'm here with another one, my people. I'm sorry that I'm a little late...Okay, really late. But I've been busy with track and N's script. But, it's finished now, so I'm open to start writing again. THE FIC IS THE THING!**

**I only own my OC(s).**

Paul walked out of the changing room and began walking out the front of the school when he remembered that his father was going to pick him up. However, looking out the glass doors, he saw his grandpa's truck. _Looks like you forgot to tell him, _he thought, running out the door and to the truck.

After getting in, his grandpa started talking. "So, how did track go?"

"Okay, I guess."

His grandpa raised an eyebrow. "Okay? What did you do?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing? Now I know something is wrong with you." He leaned over. "Is it a...girl?"

"What? No! I can't get a girlfriend to save my life."

"That doesn't mean you can't like one. Who is it?"

"Grandpa, it's no one. I don't like anyone. And no one likes me."

"I'm sure that's not true. You must like someone."

The conversation ended there, with his grandpa, as usual, being correct. Paul's mind flashed to Fluttershy, most likely still unconscious on his couch.

When he got home, he threw open the truck door, grabbed his stuff, closed the door, opened the house door, ran in, closed the door, put away his stuff, and ran into the living room, and knelt by the, as expected, still unconscious Fluttershy.

"Well, you're hone earlier than expected. Where's you dad?"

"Grandpa was there, so he brought me home. But that later, can you help me move her?"

"Move her? Where?"

"Downstairs, where Dad won't see her for a while. I mean, when was the last time he went down there?"

"...Good point, but why are we hiding her?"

"I don't want to explain the whole 'jump-off-the-bus' thing again. Now just help me."

His mom carefully removed her covers while Paul tenderly lifted her up and carried her downstairs. It was then that, feeling through the thin shirt, he noticed that her back felt soft. Softer than normal skin. More like...feathery.

Once she was set back up in the basement on a couch, Paul ran up to the second story to take a post-track shower, where his thoughts continued to dance in his mind. How did she get there? And, what if Tristan was right and this was exactly like _My Little Dashie_? Then was he just helping her for no reason?

Finishing the shower, he ran back downstairs and monitored Fluttershy. "How did you get here?" he asked expecting no response in return.

However, he did get a response. Not an answer to his question, but a sigh. Slowly, she opened her eyes. "What? Where am I?" she asked in her same confused and scared tone that Paul fell in love with in the first place.

"You're awake!"

He didn't mean to say it that loud. And when he shut his mouth, Fluttershy looked straight at him, shrieked, and then shot into the air. She was trying to fly away, but the shirt restricted her wings. When she fell with a thud, she covered her face. "Please, don't hurt me! I'm lost and scared as it is."

Paul placed a hand on her shoulder. "I wouldn't dream of it. My name is Paul."

"M-My name i-is Fluttershy."

"I know. I know all about you. Well, almost. How did you get here?"

"I...I don't know. All I remember is...Twilight asked me to help her with a spell."

"I figured as much."

He was going to ask her another question when he heard the front door open and then slam shut. "I'm going to kill that boy!"

"Uh oh."

Fluttershy grabbed his arm. "What is it?"

"My father. I'm in for it now. Stay here. I'll be back." With that, he ran up the stairs.

His father met him there, holding a belt in his hand. "You didn't stay at the school."

"Grandpa was already-"

He didn't get to finish his statement before the belt came flying across his face with a _whap_. "I gave you one simple task." _Whap! _"You were told to stay there." _Whap! _"And you came home with your grandfather."

Paul held his face. "Mainly because Grandpa would hit me with a belt."

_Whap! Whap! Whap! _"Maybe he should!"

At that moment, Paul's mother ran in. "What are you doing!"

"I'm giving _your_ son a proper punishment." _Whap!_

She grabbed the belt from his hand. "Not like this you aren't!"

"Woman, give it back!"

This time, she brought the belt across _his _face. "I'll admit that he shouldn't have disobeyed you, but this is not how you punish our son. I'll have you know that he saved some girl's life today."

"Really?" His tone changed into mock interest. "When?"

"This morning, while I was on the bus," Paul said, still holding his face. "I jumped off and-"

"You jumped off the bus?"

"Well-"

"YOU JUMPED OFF THE BUS!"

"I thought that-"

"Right. You thought that some random girl on the streets was worth jumping off the bus."

"I'm sorry that I have a heart!" With that, he slammed the door to the basement shut, but that didn't stop him from hearing them continue to fight.

"He's right, you know."

"Oh, don't you start, too. He's too soft for his own good."

His mom sighed. "One of these days, you'll see how wrong you are."

"He needs to learn to stop putting himself in things that don't hurt him."

He put his head down and walked down the stairs. When he got in front of the couch, Fluttershy gasped. "Paul! What happened to your face?"

"My father is a bit abusive."

"A bit! Your face is...horrible!"

He sat down next to her and put his head in his hands. "He thinks I'm too...kind."

She leaned over and put her arms around him. "You can never be too kind."

He placed a hand over hers. "Thank you."

**Chapter Complete. I know, not my best work. But give me a break. I've been gone for a while, so this is the first chance I got to work on this fic. So, R&R AND ADIOS!**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter IV

**I'm here! Goldenponyboy here with your next chapter. And, since I have very little to say right now, THE FIC IS THE THING!**

**I only own my OC(s).**

Paul's week fly past with his little noticing. His second and third tests were beyond simplicity. His track meet ended with the boys in second and the girls finishing third. And Fluttershy was successfully hidden from his father.

To be honest, his father didn't care. Anything that concerned Paul at home was pointless to him. The only times he ever "cared" was when his public image was at risk. He only "cared" when Paul did something like get first or second in discus or got straight A's on his report card.

As he got in his car to go to work that Saturday, his father was actually thinking intently about his son. But not at all anything good. More like how he was going to punish him after he got home. He never needed a reason. Paul usually provided it.

But enough about Paul's father. Let's look back at him. He was at home, lounging in the basement with Fluttershy. Her condition had been slowly improving over the past few days, as well as her ability to cope as a human, but they were still nowhere near close to figuring out how she got there.

"If only Twilight were here," she said, holding her chin in her hand. "She'd know what to do."

Paul was currently pacing in front of her. "I've read several stories about this kind of thing happening, but there's usually another pony-human here that cast the spell or something." It was then that he stopped dead. "Actually, there is one story, but I could never make it to the end."

"Could you try again?"

"It's too sad. I just...can't."

She sighed. "Okay, if you can't, it's okay. I really don't mind. Maybe I could learn to live here."

Paul stood bolt upright. "No."

"No?"

"No. It's not okay. If we can't send you back, I'll never forgive myself."

"It's not your fault, Paul. If anyone, it's mine. I wanted to help Twilight."

"Fluttershy, it _is_ my fault. I've been dreaming, wishing, _praying_ that one day I could meet you for real. And now that it's happened, I realize that I have no way to fix things. So let me take the blame."

Fluttershy looked at him for a while before saying, "Alright, if that's what you want."

"I don't want it, but I do deserve it."

They sat in silence for a while. A silence that was broken by Paul's mother coming down to bring him and Fluttershy lunch of PB&J sandwiches. When Fluttershy first woke up, Paul knew that she would be hungry and ran upstairs to make her one of these same sandwiches, since she was vegan and didn't want his mom trying to feed her any meat unwittingly. She fell in love with it instantly and Paul suggested that she just ate that for a while before introducing her to another food.

Sitting next to the girl, Paul's mother began to talk to her. "How are you feeling, honey?"

"I'm doing better, ma'am. Thank you."

"Do you feel that you can trust me?"

"Of course! I'm mean, you've been so kind to me ever since I came here."

"Then, can you tell me your name?"

It was here that she stopped talking and looked over at Paul. He sighed, putting his hand over his mouth to think for a second. After this, he nodded. That's when Fluttershy looked at her and said, "You may not believe me, but my name is Fluttershy."

Paul's mom cocked an eyebrow at her. "You don't need to lie to me."

"She's not." Paul reached into his pocket and pulled out the pendant that he took off Fluttershy's neck the first day. "This was around her neck. And that is legit ruby. And if that's not enough, listen closely to her voice."

His mom took all of this into consideration for a second before nodding her head and smiling. "I thought so."

"We're not- wait. You believe us?"

"There's no reason to believe that you would lie, Paul. And, I've heard enough about her from you and the girls that I could see the resemblance. Besides, why else would you want to keep her all to yourself?"

"Mom!"

The three laughed at this for a while before his mom got up and walked back upstairs, murmuring to herself about Fluttershy.

After she had completely gone upstairs, Paul, still giggling, turned to see Fluttershy's face. It was no longer one of joy, but of sorrow. "You took that from me?"

He instantly stopped and dipped his head. "Yes, but I-"

"You what?"

"I wanted to keep who you were a secret from everyone for a while."

"That pendant might be my only way home."

"I didn't think about-"

He was silenced by the deadliest combination known to man or pony-kind. First, she gave him The Stare, locking him in place. "You knew! You didn't want to send me back!" Then, her eyes welled up with tears as she broke down crying, breaking his heart. "You wanted to keep me here against my will."

In a dash, Paul was at her side, holding her tightly. "Don't cry. Please don't cry. It's true, I don't _want_ to send you back, but it's what has to be done."

Carefully, he took the pendant and put it back around her neck. It was then that she began glowing. "What's happening to me?" she questioned in horror.

Paul couldn't answer. He could only instinctively grab her and hold on tightly, causing him to glow as well. He didn't know what would happen, but he would never let her go through it herself as long as he could help it.

**Chapter Complete. Okay, not the best chapter, but I'm just getting back into the swing of things. I'm doing good by comparison. Anyway, R&R AND ADIOS!**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter V

**(GPB walks out with a cane, top hat, tuxedo, and golden specs). Why, hello, my friends. Goldenponyboy here. I just felt like getting dressed up for this chap- (Ursa Major comes out of nowhere and attempts to maul him, but he fends it off with his new staff) ...Well, that just happened. While I go change, THE FIC IS THE THING!**

**I only own my OC(s).**

Paul and Fluttershy held tightly onto each other during their flight. Neither one knew where the pendant was taking them, nor did they want to find out at the moment.

Soon, they felt their legs hit the ground and slowly let go of each other. But when they opened their eyes, imagine their surprise to see Fluttershy back to her ordinary self. Paul, however, no longer looked like, well, Paul. He was now a light brown Pegasus with a darker brown shaggy mane. On his flank was a picture of two masks, one with a happy expression, the other a sad one.

After looking himself over, Paul nodded his head. "This is freakin' sweet!" He flapped his wings and hovered a bit. "Oh I could get used to this!"

After he landed, he got a good look at his and Fluttershy's surroundings. They were in a wooden room, filled with shelves and shelves of books and books. They were in the Ponyville library, and the owner was dashing down the stairs.

"Who's there?" Twilight called, thinking that it was just another pony in search of some literature.

"I-It's Fluttershy," Fluttershy called.

When she heard this, Twilight ran down the rest of the steps. "Fluttershy!" She ran over to give her friend a welcome hug, but it didn't end as planned. And by that I mean that she went flying _through_ Fluttershy and into the wall behind her.

Fluttershy was shocked. "Oh, I'm sorry Twilight."

The purple mare simply stood up and brushed herself off. "I figured that something like this would happen."

"What do you mean?"

"The spell I cast was done incorrectly."

"Excuse me," Paul interrupted. "I'm sorry, but Paul is confused. What spell?"

Twilight looked at him with a confused look. "Who are you?"

"My name is Paul, a resident of the place that you sent Fluttershy to. Now answer my question."

"Right, sorry. I cast a spell discovered by Starswirl the Bearded."

"As can be expected."

"It was simply supposed to allow non-unicorns to teleport like unicorns."

"Well, it worked."

The purple mare glared at him. "I though you wanted to hear about this."

"Alright, I'll keep my sarcastic remarks to a minimum. Proceed."

"Thank you. Now, the spell worked, yes, but it didn't give Fluttershy the control it was supposed to. I'm amazed that you even got back here at all."

"So, if I understand correctly," Fluttershy started, "I was just whisked away randomly?"

"I'm sorry, but that about sums it up."

Paul was standing back a bit, a hoof on his chin, thinking about this. Then, he suddenly bounded straight into the air, did four laps around the room, and landed next to Fluttershy before yelling, "SPIKE!"

The purple dragon came running down the stairs, falling down the last few. "Ouch."

"Oh, Spikey, are you okay?" Fluttershy asked.

When he heard her voice, Spike jumped up. "Fluttershy!" After this, he proceed to pull the same stunt Twilight did moments before. "Wait, what?"

Twilight lifted the dragon up with her magic and pulled him over. "First, I already tried that. Second, Paul needs you for something."

"Paul? Who's Paul?"

The "pony" in question cleared his throat. "That would be me. And if you would be so kind as to take a letter for me."

"I...guess so." Spike grabbed his parchment and quill and wrote down everything Paul said, with a few additions of course:

_Dear Princess Celestia and/or Luna,_

_My name is Paul, a resident of the planet Earth. Both me and my place of origin may not be familiar to your royal ears, but I happen to know all about you and your beautiful kingdom._

_However, I'm not having Spike (the handsome, loyal assistant to your faithful student Twilight Sparkle) write to you just to praise your kingdom, though I already have. I'm having this written so I can inform you that your faithful student had a bit of a hiccup with her magic practice._

_And what is this hiccup? She not only succeeded to whisk her friend Fluttershy to another world, but also caused a resident from that very world to be dragged along back. And, by the way, that resident was your truly. Okay, it was my fault, but only partially._

_We ask you, neigh, beg you to please give us assistance on this little problem._

_Yours in confusion,_

_Paul._

Spike rolled up the parchment and blew his flames on it. "Okay, so now what?"

Paul flapped his wings, lifted himself into the air, and put his front legs behind his head. "Now, we wait for either princess to answer our-"

He was interrupted, and sent crashing to the floor, by all the light in the room suddenly going out. They could still see each other, but not as clearly in the color department. In the middle of the room, a gateway that appeared to be made of flowing darkness sprouted from the floor.

"I thought we sent for the princesses, not Ansem!" Paul shouted as the gateway began to make noise.

Though, instead of the Final Fantasy/Kingdom Hearts character, Princess Luna stepped out of it. After she had, the gateway sank back to the floor and light came back to the room. When that had occurred, she looked up and asked, "Which of thee is the one called Paul?"

The "Pegasus" scrambled to her feet and began kissing them. "O Glorious Luna, Ruler of the Night and Dreams of all in Equestria, 'tis I that thou seeketh. I asketh a thousand pardons for disturbing thy slumber, but... okay, I can't do this any longer. We need your help."

"Yes, we know of your problem. And your solution is also known to us."

"It is?" They all leaned in to hear the solution. However, Pinkie leaned a little too far and fell flat on her face, making everypony look in her direction. "Where the heck did you come from?" Paul asked her.

She quickly stood up and turned to him with a giggle. "Do I need a reason?"

"As we were saying," Luna said, obviously annoyed, "Your solution is simple. You need only to complete a specified task each here and there for the next... few days."

"The next few days! What kind of task do we-"

"Not 'we', only you. You see, the counter-spell has to be cast by someone from the recipient world. And, seeing that you cannot cast what we consider magic, you are going to have to complete the designated task wherever you are."

"How am I supposed to know what said task is?"

Luna smiled when he asked the question. "Look at her pendant." Paul looked over and saw what she was talking about. The pendant was beginning to glow. "The pendant is also part of the spell, it will give you hints and tell you when you have done the task."

Soon, though they were not touching each other, they both started glowing. The pendant was taking them back to Earth.

**Chapter Complete. Well, this fic should be longer than twenty chapters at least if what I have planned actually happens. But if it doesn't, any of you who know who I am I give permission to slap me in the face. But, seeing as how that's like...two or three people, R&R AND ADIOS!**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter VI

**Okay, here I am. I have brought to you your next chapter and the first task. But what is it? How will it be solved? Well, I shall tell you after I say THE FIC IS THE THING!**

**I own only my OC(s). All others belong to their appropriate owners.**

Paul and Fluttershy landed with a thud back in Paul's basement, looks of surprise etched on their faces. Then, Paul jumped into the air. "Awesome!"

Fluttershy looked at him in confusion. "'Awesome?' What part of any of this is awesome?"

In playful mockery, he put his hand on his chin. "Let me think. I met the Fluttershy. Then, I proceeded to go to Equestria and met the Twilight Sparkle and the Spike the Dragon. And after that, the Princess Luna gave me a quest! You bet your hooves this is awesome!"

"I hope that your 'quest' ends up with my going home and staying there."

"You can count on my, Fluttershy," Paul assured her as he began to do an odd dance routine made up of Gangnam Style, The Cupid Shuffle, and The Cha Cha Slide.

While he was doing his victory dance, the pendant began to glow. Not the same brightness that had sent them to Equestria, more like a flashlight turning on. Then, a voice came from it, saying these words:

_If not a friend, who can you trust? If the secret gets out, you are dust. A friend can help the burden bear. A friend, indeed, can help you there._

While Fluttershy had heard the words, Paul kind of missed it. He was still doing his happy dance about his adventure that was to commence. "Uh, Paul?" Fluttershy asked.

He stopped dancing immediately and turned to her. "Yes?"

"Shouldn't we be trying to solve the task?"

He instantly stopped dancing and looked at her. "Uh...yeah. I suppose we should. Um...could...could you tell me the task again?"

She sighed and then repeated what her pendant had said. "So, do you have any ideas?"

He put his hand on his chin. "Well, the friend I already told about you is Tristan. I guess I have to completely and one hundred percent make him believe you are really here."

"But how are you supposed to do that? I mean, I still don't even have walking down."

"Really?"

She nodded, then proceeded to try to lift herself off the couch, but she wasn't having much luck. "I really have been trying, but I just can't do it."

"Well, I guess it's easier to walk on four legs instead of two." He then held out his hand. "But, if you want, I can help you learn."

She reached for his hand and took hold of it. He then pulled her up from the couch. At first, she appeared to be standing, until her legs gave out from under her, causing Paul to wrap his arms around her and hold her tightly. She looked up at him with pitiful eyes. "I told you I can't do it."

He hoisted her back to her feet. "You just have to keep trying. Try to balance your body weight to your center. It's much smaller now that you're human, but it should be easy to find."

"Okay, I'll try." She swayed a little as she tried to find her center of gravity, Paul coaching her gently through it the whole time. Eventually, she got standing under control.

"Perfect. Now, for the hard part." He held her hands out in front of him as he back off a couple steps. "To walk, you just need to put one foot in front of the other. Think of how you used to walk with your back legs and try to mimic that."

Slowly but surely, she began to walk around the room with Paul guiding her. After a while, he let go to let her try to get a feel for walking on her own. It wasn't long before she had gotten completely used to it and was running around the basement. "I can walk!" she called. "I can run!"

Paul stood against a wall, a look of amusement on his face. _She's acting like a four-year-old, _he though with a chuckle. And he wasn't wrong. She was dancing around the room with her new-found talent in pure joy.

When she finished, she ran over to Paul and wrapped him in her arms. "Oh, thank you so much! I never could have gotten this down without you."

He laughed again as they broke the embrace. "It was no problem, Fluttershy. Trust me. Now, about getting Tristan over here..."

Her face went from pure joy to worry when he said that. "How are we going to get a letter to him? I mean, we don't have Spike or a mailmare on hand."

Paul laughed a third time when she said that, then proceeded to reach into his pocket and pulled out a cellphone. "I don't need to write a letter. I'll just call him."

"Call him?"

"Yeah. This is called a cellphone. Much like how Spike sends letters to and from Celestia and Twilight, I can call my friends and whatnot on this."

"How does it work?"

He smiled as he slid the phone open and looked up Tristan's number on speed dial. After it rang a few times, a voice answered. _"Hello?"_

"Yeah, Tristan? It's Paul."

_"__Oh, hey! What's up, my man?"_

"Listen, can you come down here for a while?"

_"__I suppose so. Why?"_

"Remember what I told you earlier?"

Paul heard a sigh over the phone. _"Paul, I think you might be getting conned into something. I mean, maybe we only thought the pendant was ruby."_

"What?"

_"__I mean, maybe she was some kind of prostitute or something that happened to have a Fluttershy necklace. You said she wasn't wearing clothes when you found her, right?"_

"Ignoring that comment, can you just come down?"

_"__Now?"_

"When else are we going to escape the wrath of the Beast?"

_"__...Good point. I'll be down soon."_

"Good to hear. See ya soon."

_"__See ya!"_

Paul hung up and put the phone back in his pocket and turned back to Fluttershy. She had a look of awe on her face. "I thought Princess Luna said you couldn't use magic."

"Oh, this is not really magic."

"It's pretty magical to me. We have nothing light this in Ponyville."

"Well, maybe soon you will. I mean, Equestria is pretty much at the same stage Earth was at a couple hundred years ago."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOO

It was about a half an hour before Tristan finally got over to Paul's and was sitting in the basement with him and Fluttershy. Paul and Fluttershy were sitting on the couch. Tristan was sitting in an old computer chair. At first, they kind of all just sat there, looking at each other.

Finally, Paul broke the ice. "Well, uh, Tristan, how's your job at Gamestop?"

"It's going rather well, thank you. But I don't believe you called me over to ask about my job." he turned to look at Fluttershy. "So, this is supposed to be her?"

Fluttershy ducked behind Paul slightly, causing him to put his arm behind her downy back. "Yeah, this _is_ her."

"Paul, she could be any random girl off the street."

"You haven't seen what I have seen."

Tristan smirked at this. "And frankly, I don't think you would want to share."

Paul's cheeks went bright red. "I'm not like that!"

Fluttershy came out from behind him and said, "Why don't you think I'm really Fluttershy?"

"Well, as much as I would like to, I'm too cold and logical."

Paul then stood up. "If you want me to prove it, I will. Come over here." Tristan stood up and walked over to her. Paul grabbed his hand and placed it on her back. "Remember, I don't own anything made with feathers."

Tristan again had a look of amazement on his face. "Are you really..."

She blushed a little before nodding. "I am."

"I...I...Wow...Paul, you know how much I hate it when you're right."

Paul just smiled widely to himself just as Fluttershy's pendant started glowing again. "Oh, here we go again."

"What?"

"You'll see." He held onto Fluttershy's as the pendant flashed.

**Chapter Complete. Okay, so this was only the first task, so give me a break. I promise the next one will be better. And, if anyone is interested, I am accepting OC's now. So, on that note, R&R AND ADIOS!**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter VII

**Hello, peoples! Goldenponyboy here with another chapter of ****_When My Heart Flutters._**** I know that the last chapter wasn't my best ever work. But it was only the first chapter, so give me a break. Now, without further ado, THE FIC IS THE THING!**

**OC(s) are owned by the correct owners.**

They hit the Library Floor again, in their pony forms. Tristan became another Pegasus, that looked pretty much like Paul, except his mane was colored so that it actually looked like flames. On his flank was a Nintendo64 controller. And the look on his face was just down-right priceless.

"How...but...I...we...you...I need to sit down."

Paul just started laughing as Fluttershy's pendant started glowing again. This time, the hint was this one:

_In Everfree, you shall find, the witchdoctor equivalent for this kind. Following close her every direction, you will easily make a potion._

That shut him up pretty quick. "I have to...what?"

"It sounds like you have to put up with Zecora for the day."

"Awesome..."

"Well, while you do that, I need to go to my cottage, if you don't mind," Fluttershy said, pawing at the ground.

"Why?"

"Oh, you know. I still have to feed Angel." She walked over to the door and placed her hoof against the door, causing it to fall through. "Uh...maybe just to see him then." She trotted out the door then, turning back with a wink. "I'll be back."

Paul was in a bit of a trance. Fluttershy had just winked at _him!_ He felt his heart flutter and started to fall backwards, only to be stopped by the wall. "What?"

"What?" Tristan asked.

"The wall..."

"Yeah, it's very nice."

"It...stopped me."

"That's what they do."

"But...this spell must be more complex than I thought."

"Spell?"

"Well, it was a spell that originally brought Fluttershy to Earth. But, last time we were here, she wasn't as...solid. Kind of like now. I guess...I guess the spell makes me more solid than her."

"Hm...so, she's like a ghost?"

"I suppose that's a step in the right direction."

"So the spell practically killed her."

"That...is a step backwards. _Like_ a ghost, not _actually_ a ghost."

"Whatever. Shouldn't we be going to find Zecora?"

Paul face-hoofed when he said this. "I almost forgot. Yeah, we probably should."

The duo opened the door and stepped out into the streets of Ponyville. They quickly began to draw a lot of attention, probably because of how they gawked at every little thing they passed. From the Carousel Boutique to Lyra sitting on a bench. But the thing that caught their attention the most was the thing that made itself known.

They were on the road heading out of Ponyville into the Everfree Forest when it happened. There was little warning, other than a loud cry of "LOOK OUT!" The two "Pegasi" had only a split second to hit the ground in front of them, letting a technicolor streak pass over them and crash into the ground.

Paul and Tristan ran over to see who had just about lopped their heads off with their reckless flying. And who should they find but the one and only Rainbow Dash! "Oh, that's going to leave a mark."

"Are you alright?" Tristan asked with a worried tone. While Paul's favorite pony was Fluttershy, Tristan was in love with Rainbow Dash.

"I'm fine." She jumped up and brushed herself off a bit before turning to the two "Pegasi." "I don't think I've ever seen you two before. My name's Rainbow Dash. Who are you?"

Paul started off with, " My name is...Jack. Jack O' Trades. And this is my friend-"

"Blaze. Vague Blaze. And, may I say it is an honor to meet you, Rainbow Dash."

She lifted her head when he said this. "Yeah, I know. I have that effect on ponies. Sorry, no autographs today."

"Oh, but I want nothing more than to gaze upon your magnificence for a time."

"Uh...Excuse me?"

Paul but his front leg around his friend's neck. "Well, it was nice meeting you, but we kinda have an appointment to keep with Zecora. I hope to see you around. Come on, Blaze." He began to drag his friend away from her and into the Forest. When they were a distance away, he asked, "Vague Blaze?"

"What? It's better than Jack O' Trades."

"Hey, at least I was going off what my Cutie Mark was telling me. Where did you pull that name from?"

"...Touche. But still, I say mine is better."

"Right, but at least I can keep collected in front of Fluttershy."

Tris- Blaze blushed when he said that. "Well, sorry. Is it my fault if I have a shrine erected to her in my room?"

"...You have a shrine to Rainbow Dash in your room?"

"...Maybe. Perhaps I do. You don't know everything about me."

"I know you're a sixteen-year-old brony with little of a life outside of video games and MLP."

"...Again, Touche."

They continued on in silence until Zecora's hut came into veiw. Pa- Jack walked up and knocked on the door. The Zebra opened the door with a smile. "Ah, you must be the ones I seek. Come on in and take a peek."

"Thank you." Jack said, leading Blaze into the hut. "My name is-"

"I know who you are, Tristan and Paul. Your task cannot be held at all."

The two "Pegasi" shared a glance before Jack snapped out of it, saying, "So, you have a potion for me to concoct?"

"Ah, indeed, a brew of power. If done right, it should take an hour."

"An HOUR!" Blaze sat down and began to pout. "I have to wait an hour before I can go home?"

"If you want, Blaze, you can go chase down Dash and...I don't know...talk to her."

His face lit up with joy when this was said. And, in a half of a second, Blaze was out the door and probably chasing the "love of his life." After that episode, Jack turned back to Zecora. "Sorry about that."

"That's alright, my friend from worlds unknown. Now, come, another is yet to be shown."

"Another?"

"Yes, Shadow Runner, the name is his. He has, for a while, been my apprentice." She led Jack into an adjoining room, where it appeared the potion was to be made. It had all the essential ingredients, and even came with an assistant.

The Pegasus in the room, that Jack assumed was Shadow Runner, had a dark blue coat with brown hair that was slicked back down the middle. His eyes were also a dark shade of brown, with a scar running down the right one. On his flank was a picture of a shield with a sword lied down the middle of it, wings spread out from the sides.

Jack walked up to him and held out a hoof. "My name is Jack O' Trades. Nice to meet you."

The Pegasus took the hoof in his own and shook it, saying, "I'm Shadow Runner. Honored."

"Yes, the time to talk is past. Now...about your task." Zecorah reached into her saddle bag ans pulled out a book. "The the page seven hundred four, where there are spell and potions galore, the one you seek is number three. But what is it? You'll just have to see." She walked out with a chuckle and left Jack and Shadow to go to work.

Paul took the book and flipped to the correct page and read of the list of ingredients. "Left Pegasus Feathers; a piece of cloud; seventeen dragon scales, given quite proud; a lemon; a cherry; a lily bud; a finally, an ounce of..." He moved the book closer to his face. "...Human Blood?" He looked over at Shadow.

"Hey, do I look like a run a blood bank of any kind?"

"Where did she get this book?"

"She didn't say. Well, nothing of any importance."

Jack looked back at the book and shrugged. "Well, I guess we should get started. Let's see." He began to move around the room and collect the ingredient Zecorah had. "What kind of potion is this?" he asked, putting the feathers and cloud into a bowl.

"Hey, beats me. I've only been here a week." Shadow added the scaled, lemon and cherry to the mix while Jack put in the lily bud. "Well, that takes care of most of the ingredients. Now, what's human blood?"

"Got a knife?"

"What?"

"I asked if you have a knife."

"Well, yeah." He hoofed it over to him. "Why do you need it?"

"We need human blood." He took the knife and sliced into his skin, letting the blood flow into the bowl. When there was enough in it, he took another jar and held his hoof over it. "Now, if Zecorah needs more, she has it."

Shadow's mouth hung open in confusion. "O...kay...uh...well, now what?"

With the other hoof, Jack read, "It says it needs to be blended until it turns a bright pink."

With a nod, Shadow did as instructed. After about twenty minutes, the mixture became the correct color. "Now what?"

"It needs to be heated over hydra fire. Where are we going to find-"

"Got it." He held up a vial with a flame inside. "How long?"

"About forty minutes. It should turn golden yellow and smell like honey."

"Understood." he did as instructed while Jack got around to bandaging up his wound.

When they finished, they took the vial to Zecorah. When it was in her hoof, she said, "Why, this is more the perfect. I have never seen one thing like it."

Jack stepped up and asked, "What is it?"

"A potion with properties unimaginable. It can give one power that can never be told. You should always keep this on hoof just in case darkness reached under your roof."

"Thank you, but I don't have anything to-" Before he could finish, he was given a saddlebag with his Cutie Mark embroidered on it. "...Wow...Thank you."

Suddenly, he began to glow. And it wasn't long before he was on his way home.

Zecorah, however, turned to Shadow. "Bring me vial which his blood is in. There is something that I must be checking."

He nodded and retrieved it, but not before noticing a new detail about it.

The blood...was glowing.

**Chapter Complete. First off, Thank you to Voltzs and Gearfox for allowing me to use their OC's. And second, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. There is more to come. So, R&R AND ADIOS! AND KEEP THOSE OC'S COMING!**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter VIII

**Herro! Gorenponiboyee is not avairabru right now.**

**GPB: Hey, what are you doing?**

**Random Japanese Guy: Uh...**

**GPB: (Hold out his staff). Get the buck off my stage before I bucking get some bucking bucker to buck you the buck off!**

**RJG: (heads for the hills).**

**GPB: Ah...Sorry about that. And please excuse my language, but I kinda have a thing against the following things: Mexicans, Japanese, Racists, Hippocrates, Irony, and lists. So, since this is the end of the intro, THE FIC IS THE THING!**

**The only things owned are OC(s), which belong to their appropriate owners.**

The light died down and Paul, Tristan, and Fluttershy were back to sitting on the couch. Paul looked down at himself, only to notice that his outfit was a little different. Instead of his signature track outfit, which he wore still even though track and school were over, he was wearing a brown pair of jeans, a blue, long sleeved T-shirt, and, on his belt where the saddlebags were, were to two large, brown bags, each with his Cutie Mark stitched to the side. "Hm...interesting." He shot a hand into the left bag and, sure enough, there was the potion Zecorah had him make.

Tristan eventually fell out of his trace. "That...was...A-MAY-ZING!"

Rubbing his ear, Paul asked, "Gee, Trist, have a good time?"

"Have a good time? It was awesome! I went to Equestria! And, I met my favorite pony of all time!" He did the cliché fanboy half-faint, on to wake up and convulse on the ground, chanting, "Omigoshomigoshomigoshomigoshomigosh..."

Paul chuckled as he turned to Fluttershy, who was holding onto her cheek. "And how was Angel?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah. He's fine. Just a...little annoyed at me for leaving so suddenly."

"Uh, Shy?"

"Yes?"

"What's wrong with your cheek?"

"Oh, uh...nothing. Just a...scratch."

Paul placed his hand over hers, moving it down to reveal not a scratch, but a gash. "Oh my gosh, Shy! What happened?"

"It's...nothing new. It's just...one of the...new cats I got. They aren't quite...trained yet."

He rubbed her cheek. "I'm sorry, Shy. But...I suppose that...this is actually a good thing."

"How?"

"Well, you're becoming more solid there. So...maybe the spell is beginning to fade. These tasks might actually doing something. As mean as it sounds, I'm glad you got scratched."

She faked a smile. "Yeah, I guess it's...kind of a good thing." Her pendant then began to glow to give them their next task:

_Comfortable? Why not take a chance? Life is too short not to dance. But not at any place and time, but at a place with celebration's chime._

Paul's eyes shot open when he heard these words. "I...I have to...what?"

"It sounds like...we need to dance."

His cheeks went red. "W-We? Uh...where are we supposed to do that?"

At that point, Tristan jumped up and said, "The wedding!"

"The...the what?"

"The wedding. My buddy, Lance Misely, is getting hitched...uh...hold on a sec." He pulled out his own cellphone and had the following conversation:

_*RING RING* Hello?_

"Hey, Lance!"

_"Tristan! Hey, buddy, how's your friend Paul doing?"_

"Oh, he's doing good."

_"Good to hear. So, what's up?"_

"Well, I need to ask a question."

_"Ask away."_

"Uh...heh...when...exactly are you getting married again?"

_"...Wow...Some friend you are."_

"Hey, sorry. I've...had a lot to focus on at the moment."

_"Such as?"_

"Trust me, you wouldn't believe me if I told you."

_"Knowing you, probably not. Well, if you really don't remember, the wedding is...tomorrow."_

"Really?"

_"No, I'm getting married last September. Yes, tomorrow. You actually forgot?'_

"Look, I'm sorry. I've had a lot to think about lately."

_"Yeah, yeah, I heard."_

"Oh, is there any chance that Paul and his..." He turned to Paul and Fluttershy. "...girlfriend could come as well." This made the two of them blush profusely.

_"I don't see why not. The more the merrier, as I always say."_

"I thought you always said 'castigat ridendo mores?"

_"__Do you even know what that means?"_

"Uh...no."

_"__It means 'One corrects problems by laughing at them' in latin. Come on, you know me."_

"Yeah, I do. Well, I guess I'll see ya around. Oh, and say hello to Sarah for me."

_" __Will do. See ya!"_

Tristan shut the phone and put it back in his pocket. He turned back to Paul and Fluttershy and said, "Yeah, the wedding is tomorrow."

"Sounds fun," Paul said with fake joy.

"Oh, this is so exciting!" Fluttershy jumped up with real joy. "I love weddings."

"Shy, we can't even get you out of the basement, let alone to a wedding."

"I guess we'll have to find a-"

Suddenly, they heard the front door slam open and shut. "Where is he?" the same menacing voice of his father asked. He had seen Tristan's car out front and, after giving it a nice "bump," pulled into the garage.

The three of them looked at each other in terror. Tristan knew enough about Paul's father to know that if he was mad, who you were didn't matter. He himself had a burn mark that ran the length of his back because he happened to "be in the way." "Guys, we are beyond screwed if we don't get out of here."

Paul frantically looked around the room, but the only practical way out was the stairs. Unless...

He ran over to the window, threw it open, and whispered, "Quickly, through here!" He boosted Fluttershy up before climbing through himself and helping Tristan through. He shut the window before climbing out of the hole and running to Tristan's car.

"Oh MAN!"

"What?"

"Your dad killed my CAR!"

Paul did a face-palm before continuing with, "Drive now, complain later. It's...a...scratch!"

"But...my baby..."

"TRISTAN! GET IN THE CAR!"

They ran over to the slightly dented car and hopped in. Tristan turned the key in the ignition as Paul looked out the back window. His dad was running out the door. "Tristan. If it's not too much to ask, GET US THE HECK OUT OF HERE!"

He obliged with one foot slamming onto the gas petal, launching them down the driveway, hooking a left turn, and driving as fast he could legally, heading for his house. There, they would be safe from the wrath of Paul's father.

On the ride, Paul turned to Fluttershy. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." She rubbed her cheek a little more before asking, "Why does he hate you so much?"

He sighed before bowing his head. "Do you promise not to tell anyone?"

"Of course."

"This goes for you too, Tristan."

"Hey, why would I betray you?"

Paul bowed his head. "Okay...but prepare yourself."

**~Flashback, about seven years ago~**

Sitting on the deck at a pond was a younger Paul. He loved to just sit down here and think about things. Such as, what a great lunch his mom and grandma had made for them. Campfire pizzas were the best thing since sliced bread whenever they made them.

Suddenly, he heard the sound of the golf cart come around behind him. Turning, he saw his father driving it around the pond, down "Bug Ally" (narrow path were there is practically nothing but bugs), and into the woods towards the cemetery back away from the water. Loaded on the back, where the golf clubs should be, was a gun and an ax.

Curiosity over came him, and he began to follow him back through the trees. When he reached the cemetery, he saw something about his father that would change his view of him forever.

Standing there, in front of one of the stones, was a blind-folded man. Surrounding him were six men, five of which were wearing masks. The sixth one was his father, the gun aimed right at the man. "So," he began, "Do you have it?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Really? The wooden pendant? The one that can never burn? The Moses Amulet?"

"No. I don't."

He walked up and grabbed the chain around the man's neck. "Then, what, pray tell, is this?"

"It's nothing."

"Really? It looks a lot like the Amulet." He ripped the Amulet off and put it around his own neck. "And, just so you know, I'm not a fan of lies." He lifted his gun an shot the man in the throat. "But now, I'm fine."

Paul was shocked. He had never seen his father do anything like that. He little more than yelled at him and his siblings. But...shooting a man didn't seem like him.

The men began to crowd around him, gawking at the Amulet. He laughed and said, "Men...it's as good as ours now."

While they were cheering, Paul was trying to come up with a way to punish them. Looking around, he saw the gold cart with the ax still in the back. He had only used an ax ever once, but he knew it was the only way to do it.

Stealthily, he grabbed the ax and walked over to one of the large trees. Using all the strength he had, he began to hack at it. It took him some time, but he eventually got through it enough that he could just push it over. With a sudden burst of strength, he pushed it over and onto a few of the men.

They all began immediately to move it off of their comrades. In the panic, Paul dashed to the dead man, took off the blindfold, threw it over his father's eyes, stole the Amulet, and then ran off towards the campsite. He knew that he would be safe there.

A knife flew through the air and cut across his back. As much as it hurt, he had to keep running if he was going to survive. He was never the fastest kid before he started track, but he could move fast if he wanted to.

**~Present~**

"I got back to the campsite and put the Amulet in my bag. I kept it under watch ever since."

Tristan was just pulling up in his driveway as the story was ending. When he turned the car off, he turned around and asked, "How do you expect us to believe that?"

Paul smirked as he reached under his shirt and pulled out a pendant. "Because this is it. I've kept me ever since."

"What is it for?" Fluttershy asked, looking at the intricate designs inscribed on the Amulet with great interest.

"Legend has it that, somewhere on Earth, there is a flaming lock that opens the gates to Eden. This Amulet is supposed to be the key. It's made of the same material as the burning bush that God spoke to Moses through. I can't let him get there."

"Why not?" Tristan asked.

"Do you know what's in Eden?"

"Uh...no."

"The Tree of Eternal Life. I can't let someone like my father get his hands on any of the fruit of that tree. Or anyone for that matter."

"Why not? Eternal life man! That's everyone's dream."

"There's a time for everything and everything dies. Eternal life on Earth would be a torture to anyone. And as much as he deserves it, I can't let that happen to him."

They got out of the car and up to the double bed guest room. "Well, since the wedding is tomorrow, I guess you're going to have to stay here tonight. And, don't worry about dress clothes, I'm sure I can find something."

Paul cocked an eyebrow at him. "How are you going to have a dress for Shy?"

"Uh...that's for me to know and you not to find out. At least, I hope not. Anyway, it's late. You two should be getting to sleep. I have some stuff to take care of." He walked out of the room and closed the door silently.

Paul sat down on one of the beds. "So, tomorrow we have to dance."

"Why do you sound so down about it?"

"To...to be honest...I've...never dance before, let alone with anyone."

"Never?"

"Never."

She walked to stand in front of him and held out her hand. "Then come on."

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to help you dance."

"You've never danced on two feet before."

"Then I guess we'll learn together."

Paul hesitated before taking her hand and standing. While he kept her one hand, he wrapped his other one around her waist. She put her other one on his arm. Slowly, they began to sway back and forth as they practiced for their performance the next day.

**Chapter Complete. Wow, this one was long by comparison to what everything else is going to be most likely. Well, it depends how deep I decided to get into the task. And, I want to thank Lankore and Voltzs for letting me use their OC's. Sorry, Lankore. I guess I threw a fast one at ya. Anywho, R&R AND ADIOS!**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter IX

**Howdy there, everyone. GPB here with another chapter of ****_When My Heart Flutters._****I'm going to go ahead and say that this one may not be as long as the last one, seeing as it is part two of the task, but we'll see. Yes, WE SHALL SEE! THE FIC IS THE THING!**

**OC's, Owners, you get the picture.**

The nest morning brought a surprise to Paul. He found himself at Tristan's house. In one of the guest rooms. Lying on one of the beds. With a sleeping Fluttershy laying next to him. His cheeks went red as he remembered the night before.

**~Flashback, last night~**

Paul sat down on one of the beds. "So, tomorrow we have to dance."

"Why do you sound so down about it?"

"To...To be honest...I've...never dance before, let alone with anyone."

"Never?"

"Never."

She walked to stand in front of him and held out her hand. "Then come on."

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to help you dance."

"You've never danced on two feet before."

"Then I guess we'll learn together."

Paul hesitated before taking her hand and standing. While he kept her one hand, he wrapped his other one around her waist. She put her other one on his arm. Slowly, they began to sway back and forth to their own imaginary music.

"You've really never danced before?" Fluttershy asked him as he lifted her gently and twirled her around.

"Well, not really. But I've seen people dance and am just trying to mimic them."

"Well, I think you are doing fine."

"I hope it's enough to please the new Mr. and Mrs. Misley. We have to get it right, or-"

She placed a finger over his lips. "We can worry about that later. But for now, let dance."

He smiled at her as they continued their dance routine. At the end, Paul dipped Fluttershy back and looked into her beautiful blue eyes. A voice in the back of his head yelled, _Kiss her! Kiss her now! Make her yours!_

As much as he wanted to listen, there was a reason Fluttershy was his favorite pony. They both had little courage. Slowly, he brought her back up to a standing position. "I...I think that's enough for tonight."

She looked at him with a bit of disappointment, but then nodded. "Okay. I guess you're right. You are truly a good dancer, though, Paul."

He smiled when she said this. Somehow, even from the other side of the television, she knew what to say to make him smile.

**~Present~**

Paul looked back at the sleeping Fluttershy and finally learned something. For the longest time, he had never known what a "D'aw" moment was. But he knew now. He wanted nothing more than to wrap her in his arms and kiss her tenderly. And, to his own amazement, he found himself leaning towards her body.

Suddenly, the door burst open. "GOOD MORNING, LOVE BIRDS!" Tristan called.

Both Paul and Fluttershy bounded into the air and landed on the ground with a _thump!_ "Tristan!" Paul scolded. "Never, under any circumstance, do that again!"

"Aw, did I wuin Pauwy's Fwuttershy time?" He clasped his hand together and brought them to his cheek. At the same time, he made the largest possible puppy dog eyes a human could manage. "This is too precious."

Paul jumped up and ran to Fluttershy. "Are you alright, Shy?"

She had her hand over her heart, frantically trying to catch her breath. "Y-Y-Yes. I'm...fine."

Paul turned again to see Tristan still in his insulting pose. Then, an idea formed in his head. He quickly brought out his cellphone and snapped a picture of it. "Hey, Trist?"

"What?"

"What would you do if I post this on Facebook and Twitter?"

His eyes suddenly went wide. "You wouldn't."

"Oh, no. Not at all." He opened the phone back up and went into the digital editing software he made for it. It was a long summer last year, so give him a break. Anyway, he added eye shadow, earrings, lip gloss, and a nice, frilly, pink dress to the image and then sent it to his friend.

Again, his eyes went wide. "Oh, my bucking Celestia."

"Yes, I will put that everywhere, my friend."

"NO! PLEASE! I'LL DO ANYTHING!"

"Anything?"

Tristan got on his knees. "Yes, anything."

Paul's straight face began to waver, and then to crack. Finally, he broke out into laughter. Fluttershy soon joined him. Tristan, however, was still on the ground in tears. "I'm kidding, Trist."

"You...You are?"

"Why would I post a picture like that on the interweb?" Paul took another look at it as another joke was launched at his head. "It makes you look too good."

"Oh, that is it!" Tristan leap towards Paul with the speed of a cheetah and got him in a head-lock. He held him there saying, "Take it back!"

"NEVER!" Paul struggled to get out of the older boy's grip, but to little avail.

"I said take it back!"

"Okay! Geez! I take it back. Can I have my head back?"

Victorious, Tristan let go of his head. "And that is why you don't mess with me."

The rest of the day was getting ready to go to the wedding. Tristan had a rather large family when compared to others, and, since he had a good sized house and only he lived there, he had clothes from every size and for both genders because he had the room to store it.

That evening found Paul in a tuxedo that had belonged to Tristan's great uncle. A tad bit on the large size, it was composed of a white under shirt and black over coat and pants. Tristan offered him a cane of fool's gold ("Looks as good, but twice as cheep!" Tristan's great uncle told him once), but he turned it down since he needed to be there to dance, not just look nice. His shoes were a shining black with golden laces. The saddle bags had to be hidden under the coat as to not attract much attention. When he looked in the mirror, he barely recognized himself.

Turning around, he saw another person he almost didn't recognize. Fluttershy was given a deep yellow dress with large white flowers scattered around its design. The pendant was still hanging around her neck, but it seemed to add to her beauty even more.

When they saw each other, they walked towards one another with looks of shock. Paul was the first one to break out of the trance. "Y-You look...beautiful, Fluttershy."

"Really?"

"Yes, really. Absolutely stunning."

She smiled and began to turn away, making Paul's beauty alarm begin to ring at the back of his mind. "Thank you. You look handsome as well."

Paul was about to say something else when Tristan ran in wearing his cliché tux. He liked to keep things simple at formal gatherings, a trait he lacked everywhere else, which is why he hadn't been invited to that many formal gatherings. "So, are you two ready for tonight?"

Paul cocked an eyebrow at him. "We only have to dance, it's not like everyone will be watching us. It's not our night."

"Right. Oh, have you seen the guest list?"

"Have you?"

"Lance sent me a copy of those who had said they were coming. And I think we're safe for now, since technically, your family wasn't invited." He handed him the list.

Scanning it very carefully, he came across something that could become a danger to everyone who was in that room: _Macroy_, _Joseph_. Paul looked up in terror. "Oh, no."

Fluttershy looked at the list as well. "What?"

"Right here." Paul pointed at the name.

"What's wrong with it?"

Tristan walked over. "Who's Joseph Macroy?"

Paul dropped the list when he heard the name. "He's...He's...He's..."

Fluttershy wrapped her arms around him. "Calm down, Paul."

He pushed he away. "Calm down? CALM DOWN! Do you know who that is?"

Fluttershy and Tristan looked at each other and then back to Paul before Tristan said, "Uh, no."

"He's...my father's best friend. They've been after the Moses Amulet for years. And if he and I are in the same place...I could easily get someone killed."

That sparked some fear into them. "What does he look like?"

"Tall guy with red hair and a scar across his mouth. They don't know I have it yet, but they suspect that I do."

"How don't they know you have it?"

"Like I said, I'm stealthy."

"Okay, we just need to keep an eye out for him and keep him away from you."

**~Meanwhile, at Paul's house~**

Paul's father was pacing back and forth across the front lawn, thinking of every way to kill Paul for when he got the next chance. But, he couldn't risk losing the Amulet if Paul had it. There had to be some way.

Suddenly, his head began to hurt at the front of the right side. Pressing there, he watched as the whole front yard vanished. In it's place was darkness, only broken by a patch of light where he stood. While he was looking around, a voice came from behind. "Marshal, it's been a while."

Paul's father laughed before turning around to face the speaker. It was the silhouetted shape of of a large unicorn, though the voice was clearer than the body suggested. "I suppose it has, my friend."

"We have no need for idol chat, Marshal. Tell me, where is the Moses Amulet?"

"We don't know. My men have been looking for seven years and haven't found anything."

"And the boy?"

Marshal scoffed. "He was too young back then. If he had the Amulet, he probably traded it for some Pokemon cards."

"You underestimate him. He's more important than you believe."

"Really? He can't even tie his shoes by himself."

"You are proud, Marshal. Too proud to admit he is-"

"I know who he is. I know everything."

"Then you know that you must keep an eye on him."

"Trust me, I'm keeping twelve on him."

"On him, yes...but what about..._her?_"

**~Later, in Tristan's car~**

Paul, Fluttershy, and Tristan drove to the church the wedding was to be held at in total silence. If Joseph was there, they were going to have to be extremely careful in getting Paul and Fluttershy on the dance floor to perform the task.

Paul turned to Fluttershy and saw her look of fear. He placed his hand over hers and said, "Don't worry, Shy. I promise, you'll be fine."

"You can't promise me that."

"I can try."

She smiled weakly as he said this. "I don't want you to get hurt."

"I don't want you to get hurt either."

They continued on for a while in silence before the church came into view. Tristan parked and turned off the car before letting Paul and Fluttershy out. "Know, careful you two."

They walked in and sat down, waiting for the actually wedding to take place. When the room was nearly full, a man caught Paul's attention. And who would it be other than Joseph Macroy. He looked at him sternly before waving him to the hallway. "Trist, take care of Shy."

"Will do, buddy. Be careful."

Slowly, he worked his way back to the hallway that was indicated by Joseph. When he got there, he met the man face to face. The older man smiled at him before saying, "I know you have it, Paul."

Paul bowed his head. "Maybe I do."

"Show me."

Looking up, he knew it was pointless to argue, so he tried to stall. Hearing the bridal march begin to play gave him a topic. "Joseph, just for one day, can you give it up? I mean, there is a wedding going on here."

"I realize that. My niece is the one getting married."

"Then wouldn't you rather go watch the ceremony? It'll only happen once. Hopefully, anyway. Assuming the fact that they are happy together and never get divorced. Though there is nothing wrong with getting divorce. Well, not much wrong with getting divorced. I mean, this is her first wedding and I hope she'll remember it. She'll always remember today as the day you weren't there. The day you didn't see her at her first wedding. The day-"

"Enough!" He slapped Paul across the face. "Show me, the Amulet."

Paul sighed. "Are you sure you wouldn't-"

"Just, show me."

Paul sighed again before reaching under his tux and bringing it out. "See? I have it."

"As I thought. Now, I want you to-"

"Alright. Here you go."

He began to take it off when Joseph put a hand over his. "No, I want you to keep it protected."

"...What?"

"If your father gets his hands on it, he won't use it for himself."

"Then for who?"

"There is an ancient entity that your father has been restoring for years. One bite from the fruit of the Tree of Eternal Life is all it would take to unleash unspeakable evil on both worlds."

Paul gave the Amulet one last look before stuffing back under his collar. "Why are you telling me this? And what do you mean 'both worlds'?"

Joseph smiled. "Have you heard of the television show _My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic_?"

Paul just about screamed a yes before he controlled himself. "I may have heard the name."

"Well, I happen to be part of an elite group of spies sent into this world be the princesses."

"No kidding?"

"Honest. Watch." He closed his eyes, focusing on the picture on the wall behind him. Slowly, it began to spin in circles, surrounded by a purple aura. It stopped suddenly and he tried to catch his breath. "I'm not as young as I once was."

Paul's eyes widened in amazement. "You're a unicorn!"

"Yes, and you better be careful. There's more than a few of us around here, but not all are trying to protect you."

Paul nodded and began to walk away before turning suddenly. "Just...what is you real name?"

Joseph bowed deeply before saying, "Sleight. Sleight O' Hoof. But you can call me Joseph while I'm here."

The rest of the service and a good deal into the reception, Paul was mauling everything over in his mind. He only stopped when Fluttershy took his hand. "Come on." She pulled him up and onto the dance floor, which had a few other couples dancing to some slow music. Slowly, they began their dance routine back up.

"Shy, I think we're going to be safe for the night," Paul whispered into her ear.

"What makes you say that?"

"Well, Joseph is really a unicorn, and he's on our side."

"Really?"

"Yeah. And you know what else?"

"What?"

He smiled as he dipped her back over. "I think our task is complete." They looked into each others eyes as they began to glow, to the amazement of the other dancers around them.

**Chapter Complete. Okay, I lied. This chapter somehow managed to be longer than the last one. But hey, at least I finally got the task done! But don't worry. There's more to come soon. R&R AND ADIOS!**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter X

**Hello again, fellow fictioneers! Goldenponyboy here with yet another chapter for your reading pleasures. And wow, I'm amazed at everywhere that this can be read. I mean, I know it's on the interweb, but still...twenty eight different countries. Wow. Anywho, THE FIC IS THE THING!**

**OC's, Owners, Wibbly-Wobbily, you get it.**

Paul, now Jack, Tristan, now Blaze, and Fluttershy found themselves in Ponyville town square, ponified once again. While they loved the scenery, Jack was hating the entrance and exiting. He stood up, stretched his wings, and then turned to the still fallen Fluttershy and lending her a hoof up. "Well, I guess we're back. What task are we on?"

"I think...three."

"Three? Geez, it feels like I've been doing this forever."

"Well, let's certainly hope not. I'd like to be normal sometime soon, if it's alright with you that is."

"I'm doing my best." He glanced around the town square and noticed one of the benches. "Hey, let's see how well it's doing. Go walk through that bench."

"O-Okay." She walked over to the aforementioned bench and, as told, walked through it. However, she did it more slowly than she had the past times. "Strange. It's like...walking through water almost."

Jack smiled in triumph. "Well, then we're definitely making progress. You're becoming more and more solid every time we come here."

Blaze looked around the square. "Wait, there's someone missing here."

Jack immediately frowned and turned to him. "You aren't going to chase down Rainbow Dash again, are you?"

"No, why would I do that?"

"That's exactly what you would do."

"...Yet again, Touche. But no, I'm talking about that...Lyra." He took another glance around the park before he eventually found the mare in question, sitting like a human, as usual. "Ah, there she is. Now, if you would excuse me." He trotted off towards the mare.

"Blaze!" Jack sighed as Fluttershy's pendant began to glow, giving them their next task:

_Across dimensions, you can roam. There's a task here you can't at home. 'Round and 'round and 'round you'll zoom. Until at last you make a very nice...boom._

They both looked at each other as they realized what the pendant meant. "It's times like this were I wish I had magic."

"So...you have to..."

"It sounds like I have to do a Sonic Rainboom."

"Did somepony say 'Sonic Rainboom'?" Out of nowhere, Rainbow Dash...dashed over to the two Pegasi. "Hey, Fluttershy." She turned from her friend to Jack. "Oh, your that...Jack O' Trades, aren't you?"

"Yes. And your that...Rainbow Dash, right?"

"Okay, we've met before. It doesn't need to happen again. So, why are you and Fluttershy talking about Sonic Rainbooms?"

"Well...I need to...perform one."

At first, her eyes just grew wide. Then, her face began to crack and she hit the ground, laughing like crazy. "You're kidding me, right? I'm the only pony in the history of Equestria to pull it off. And you aren't even colored correctly!"

Fluttershy looked from Rainbow to Jack and then began to scan the town. "We could go see Rarity. She might have something that could help us."

"Rarity? She may be able to color him up, but nothing can help him go as fast as me."

Jack mauled this over in his head. Then, he shot his hoof over his saddlebag. "Actually, I may be able to...nah."

"What is it?" Fluttershy asked.

"Oh, uh...nothing. Let's just...go see Rarity." He smiled widely as he marched off towards the Carousel Boutique.

Within ten minutes, Jack found himself up on Rarity's fitting table. The white unicorn was currently taking every single measurement possible. "You say you need a technicolor garment, Darling?"

"If it isn't too much trouble."

"Oh, don't be ridiculous! I could make an outfit for any occasion. Which reminds me, why exactly do you need this?"

"Uh...just for flying around. You know, kind of a walking advertisement for the greatest seamstress in Equestria."

Her cheek lit up a little when he said this. "Well, I don't know about that."

"I've seen all the outfits you've made, and let me hopefully not be the first to say they are," he kissed his hoof, "magnificent!"

"Oh, Jack, you do know how to talk to a mare." She giggled as she walked over to her sketch board and began drawing up the design of her next masterpiece. "You can go for the present, Darling. This might take me a while. I'll have my assistant send you a note when I'm ready."

"Your...assistant?" Jack looked around the room a few times before he noticed a certain purple dragon carrying miscellaneous supplies. "Ah. I guess I shall do that. Thank ya kindly!"

"No trouble at all."

Jack walked out to a waiting Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash. "So, where's the new duds?" Rainbow asked him.

"She only took my measurements. It's going to be a while before the actual outfit is made."

"Okay," Fluttershy said. "So, I guess if we're still waiting, I'll go back to my cottage to see if I can actually get anything done."

"We'll come and help you."

"NO!" Her shout shocked everypony within hearing range. "I-I mean...no, no thank you. I can...get things on my own. Bye." She again trotted towards her cottage.

"I...don't think I've ever heard her yell before."

Rainbow Dash nudged his shoulder. "Don't worry, it not just you. She's been acting like that for a while now. Even before she disappeared."

"What's going on with her?"

"Nopony knows. It's like she 's...I don't know..."

"I hope she's okay."

"As far as anypony can tell, she's just getting scratches from something."

"She isn't...nah."

"What?"

"Is she...depressed?"

"I don't think so. There's nothing to be sad about now. At least, nothing reasonable comes to-"

"Jack!" Jack and Rainbow turned to see Blaze running up the street, closely followed by Lyra. "A little help, buddy?"

"What did you do?"

"I just...told her some things."

"Such as?"

"Not important. HELP ME!"

"You do realize that you have wings and she doesn't, right?"

He took a quick glance to his back. "Oh, right." He flapped his wings quickly and shot skyward.

Lyra stopped and looked in the direction he flew. "Blaze? Blaze! YOU SAID YOU KNEW HOW TOENAIL CLIPPERS WORKED!"

"Uh, Dash?" Jack asked.

"Yeah?"

"I would suggest that you stop my friend somehow."

"Why me? Why not you?"

"He's desperately in love with you. I think he'll listen to you more than anypony else."

She blushed a little. "He...loves me?"

"Loves you? He worships you almost."

She slowly began to fly off. "Somepony...loves me?"

Jack just continued to walked around the town. As he was doing this, he realized how little of the town the show actually showed. But he would have to admire later. He had to check something really quick. He shot a hoof to his saddlebag...only to find it empty.

"Looking for something?" A familiar voice asked. Jack turned around to see a somewhat tall, red unicorn with a light orange mane. Across his mouth was a single scar. And in his hoof was the potion Zecorah had him make.

"Sleight?"

The unicorn smiled. "Surprised?"

"A bit? What are you doing here?"

Sleight turned his head a little. "Celestia...asked me to keep an eye on you. She kinda made me your guardian."

"Why would I need a guardian? I can hold my own."

"I just pick-pocketed you of a very powerful potion. It looks like you can hold your own."

"Well...that's just one time." He was going to add more when a spiral of flaming dust flew towards him. When it was right in front of his face, it turned into a scroll with the following message:

_I have your outfit finished. Come around anytime to pick it up. And, don't worry about pay. Somepony has already been by to do so. Thanks!_

"So, your duds are done?"

"How did you know about that?"

"Like I said, I was installed as your guardian. I know everything there is to know about you. Well, for the most part. Something I don't know is what kind of task would have you put on something crazy like that?"

"I have to perform a Sonic Rainboom."

"Hm..." He muttered something under his breath.

"What?"

"Nothing. Don't you think you should be getting your outfit?"

"Oh, right. Well, see ya around."

"See ya, Paul."

Jack began to walk off towards the Boutique when he shot his hoof to his saddlebag. "I'll take my potion back now."

"Other one."

Sure enough, there it was. "Thank you." He continued towards the Boutique at a somewhat quick pace.

When he got there, he was met by Fluttershy, Blaze, Rainbow, and Rarity. Rarity was the first one to speak. "Oh, Darling. I have your outfit finished. If you would like to step inside."

Upon doing so, Jack saw the following outfit. Created almost in the figure of the Wonderbolts' uniform pattern, the "jumpsuit" was striped in a double rainbow pattern. Even his wings and mane would be covered to add more color to his flight. And it was designed to allow him to keep his saddlebags on.

Jack just stood there, his mouth hanging open. "Wow...that is a lot of color."

"You don't like it?"

"What? No! I like it. It's amazing."

"Really?"

"Really."

After a few minutes of wrestling into the outfit, Jack was ready to try to perform his task. He flew up high into the sky, Rainbow Dash flying right by his side. "You realize you're going to have to fly at some very high speeds."

"Yes."

"And how are you going to do that?"

Jack reached inside his saddlebag and pulled out the potion. "With this."

"Oh, you're going to cheat?"

"It's not really cheating. Do you know what I had to do to get this? I had to drain some of the blood in my leg! It's not cheating." He smirked before continuing. "Now, I don't have to drain the whole thing. More like a tiny swig." He lifted the flask up to his lips and let just a few drops onto his tongue before putting the potion back in the saddlebag.

Suddenly, he felt every hair, feather, muscle and cell in his body energize. His eyes grew wide and changed from their normal brown to one becoming a piercing purple. His fur and mane, though not visible at the time, became a bright white.

He spread his wings and burst upwards at extraordinary speed. "WOO-HOO!" When he felt he was high enough, stopped and just hovered. He was a good two hundred and some feet in the air, looking down at the world. "Okay, Jack, get ready. And...DIVE!"

He tilted forward and dove straight down. He took two or three very powerful flaps before tucking his wings close to his body. He rocketed towards the ground, waiting for the right moment to pull up.

Soon, a white veil formed around him. He closed himself tighter as he pushed through. A burst of light spread from his body, followed by a very loud _**BOOM!**_ "I LOVE EQUESTRIA LOGIC!" He shouted as he dashed across the sky, a long, wide streak of color trailing in his wake.

He loved this feeling. The thrill, the wind, the speed, the adrenaline. Everything!

However, there was one slight problem. He began to feel the potion wear off as passed Phillydelphia for the fifth time. His fur and eyes reverted back to normal. His body began to slow down. "Uh, oh."

Ponyville was coming up on the horizon, but he was losing control. He saw the library and braced for impact as he began to glow.

**Chapter Complete. Well, there's your next task, my friends. Now, for your personal task. I want everyone who is reading this, who hasn't already, to send me an OC and/or a task. Some OC's might not be used, but I'll try to use all of the tasks if I can. I might not, but we'll see. Anywho, R&R AND ADIOS!**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter XI

**Here be me with yet another task and chapter of this continuing drama. And, just so I don't forget, I would like to personally thank Superfatmatt for his task. Now, without further ado, THE FIC IS THE THING!**

The trio appeared back at the scene of the wedding. Paul still had Fluttershy dipped back at the end of their routine. He quickly brought her back up and led her off the dance floor, followed by the bewildered eyes of everyone there.

They swiftly met up with Tristan and began to walk out when Lance came over and blocked their path. "Excuse me," he said. "I'm not a huge fan of people just...popping off with no explanation. How the heck did you do that?"

"Er..." Paul began, only to be broken off by Tristan.

"Oh, Lance, didn't I tell you? My friend Paul is...an amateur magician! Yeah, that's it."

"Really?" He moved Tristan to the side so that Paul was right in front of him. "What other tricks can you do?"

"I...I can...just do that for the most part. I just kind of...do that."

"How?"

"I...uh..."

Fluttershy stepped up. "He has to do a certain task. But what must remain unknown." It was at that time that her pendant began glowing:

_What is key in keeping trust? The truth is certainly a must. Knowledge is a powerful thing. But keeping secrets can be deadly._

The trio all closed their eyes and tensed up after this was said. "What the heck does that mean?" Lance asked, cocking an eyebrow at them.

Before any of them could answer, Sarah, Lance's new wife, walked over to them. She came up behind Lance and put her arms around his neck. "Oh, Lance, are these your friends?"

His face softened and he turned to peck her cheek. "Yes, they are. They're just...playing a joke. You know..." his face hardened again as he faced Tristan. "...at our wedding."

"We didn't mean to insult anyone," Paul said, slipping his hand into his bag slowly and finger his potion.

"Then tell us, where did you go? Remember, the truth is more likely to make us believe you."

"We...We went to Equestria. There, are you happy? Now, if you would excuse us." He had dipped his finger into the vial and put another tiny drop of liquid on his tongue. He barely felt anything happen but his muscles energized enough to allow him to shove Lance to the side with ease before it wore off. They waltzed out of there and into Tristan's car, heading back to Tristan's house.

"So," Tristan asked, "what do you think the task is?"

"Well, it has something to do with secrets and the truth," Fluttershy pointed out. She then turned to Paul and asked, "What secrets haven't you told us?"

Paul searched his thoughts for anything that no one in the car knew, but couldn't find anything. Well, almost nothing. When he found it, he felt his cheeks warm up. "Er...nope! Nothing at all."

"Really? Nothing else about your family?"

"Absolutely nothing that I know of."

"Then is there anything you know that could be it?"

"Well...I know something that...one other person in this car knows."

"And who would that be?"

"...Tristan."

Tristan slammed on the breaks for a split second before continuing both the car and the conversation with, "If you and I are thinking the same thing."

"I think that's the secret."

"You can't tell her that."

"It's either I tell her or she stays here, stranded on a strange world."

"I think that's a brilliant idea. Let's just keep her here! It's your life's dream to-"

"I won't keep her here against her will! End of discussion!"

They again, sat in silence for the remainder of the journey to Tristan's house. The whole time, Paul was mauling over in his head how to break it to Fluttershy. This would be the the toughest task he would have to perform.

They pulled up the drive, walked in the house, changed back into their normal clothes, and basically went to their appropriate rooms. When Paul and Fluttershy reached theirs, they sat on the opposite beds, facing each other in silence. Paul thinking still how to tell her. Fluttershy wondering what he had to tell.

Eventually, after the silence became deafening, Paul stood up. "Shy, there's...something I need to tell you."

"Yes, Paul?"

"It's...a bit hard to understand. And...when I tell you...I don't...I don't want to scare you."

"I can handle it."

"Are you sure? You don't exactly have the best history with things you don't understand."

She blushed a little before turning back to him and saying, "I...I can handle it."

Paul sighed before reaching a hand into his pocket and pulling out his phone and turning it on. Going into the media section, he looked up videos and turned one on before tossing it to Fluttershy. The all too familiar theme began to play through the room: _My Little Pony, My Little Pony. Ah ah ah ah My Little Pony!_

Her eyes opened wide as she watched the whole episode play out. The one Paul chose was _Keep Calm and Flutter On._ At different points, she would make comments on how this was how her friends were tricked and that was how she tried to help Discord. The whole time, Paul watching her.

When the episode finally ended and Paul had his phone back in his pocket, Fluttershy asked him, "How...How did you get that?"

Paul sighed before answering. "A woman from my world named Lauren Faust created the fourth generation of the television series called _My Little Pony_. This one, by far, is the best generation up to date. Anyway, it was because of these shows that I learned about your world. But to me, it was pure fiction. I had never thought that it was actually real."

"We...We're known...everywhere here?"

"Well, I don't know about everywhere, but a good portion of this world knows about you and your adventures."

"How...how did...I mean...where did she get her information? I mean...this is...all correct!"

"I assume she just made it up."

"Made it up? It's right! Every detail!"

"...Lucky guess?"

"I'll say." Then, her eyes shot wide. "What if...what if she makes an episode about me coming here? What if your father sees it?"

"I don't think we have to much to worry about there. My father downright hates the show, so even if Faust made another episode and it aired tonight, he wouldn't know."

"I...I don't know whether to feel safe or insulted."

"Let's try safe."

She smiled. "Why didn't you tell me this earlier?"

"I didn't want to scare you. Plus, I was a little busy doing tasks to fill you in anyway, so it's not entirely my fault." Then he turned away. "...And I didn't want to tell you why I love you."

She blushed brightly. "You...you...you love me?"

He didn't turn. "...Y-Yes. I do. And I would have told all this, but I was busy with the tasks, so it's not my fault."

"Yes, it is."

"...Okay, it is. But hey, you know now."

"True..." They both looked down at their hands to see that they were glowing. "And it looks like we have more work to do."

**~Meanwhile~**

Marshal, Joseph, and the others Amulet hunters were standing in a circle in the dark place. The same unicorn that Marshal spoke to before was standing in the center, walking around and facing each of the six of them. "My friends, each of you know what we have been after for the past seventeen years, correct?"

Marshal stepped forward. "The Moses Amulet."

"Exactly. And can anyway else tell me what said Amulet will help us achieve?" He stepped up to Joseph. "Macroy?"

He swallowed hard before answering. "The...The Fruit of Eternal Life."

"Correct again. But...heh...there's just...one tiny detail that we are lacking." His horn began to glow a menacing blood red, projecting a picture of the Amulet in the air above him. "THIS IS STILL MISSING! Now, we all remember what happened to the last man to try to hide the Amulet from us."

Marshal smiled. "He met his maker the same day."

"And what a nice shot it was, Marshal."

"Thank you, Master. It was actually a little to the left, but all in all-"

"Silence! We can admire your gunman skills later. But for now, each of you must be putting every ounce of strength into finding that Amulet." He turned to Marshal and Joseph. "You two are the closest to the boy. If he knows anything, get it out of him."

Marshal put an arm around Joseph's shoulders. "Don't worry, Master. That Amulet is as good as ours. Right Joseph?"

Joseph hesitated a moment. But he couldn't break his cover in front of the council. He sighed and said, "You have my word, you will see it before your triumph...M-Master."

**Chapter Complete. Well, here's this one. A little on the short side, but it's there. I'm sorry, but I wasn't really feeling it with this chapter and had other things on my mind. Hopefully, the next chapter will be better. Keep those OC's and tasks coming! R&R AND ADIOS!**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter XII

**Here I am! I'm sorry that this is late, but, being a Boy Scout, I had something to do over the weekend. And by something, I mean becoming a member of the Boy Scout honor society, the Order of the Arrow! To make the occasion, I took a long nap when I got home. I'm not allowed to tell what I did, but I can say it was a lot of work. Anywho, enough of that. THE FIC IS THE THING!**

When Jack opened his eyes, he was back in Equestria alright, but where he was shocked him the most. Instead of the Ponyville town square, the Library, or some other recognizable location, he was in a ruins of what looked like an ancient castle. Fluttershy was nowhere to be found. Which also meant that his task was gone with the wind.

He began walking around, trying to find out where he was. There were no defining qualities that he could recognize. Just rooms. And rooms. And rooms...and rooms...and-

He stopped at a door that was slightly ajar. Sticking his head in, he saw a large mirror hanging on the wall. Walking towards it slowly, the reflection he saw in the mirror shocked him further. It didn't show the same brown Pegasus that had been walking around for the last few days every so often. Rather, what he saw now was a pure white Pegasus with a blue mane, blue eyes, and gold hooves. His Cutie Mark was still the same, but that was the only thing.

Jack looked down at himself, and then back up at the mirror. He did this a few times before he saw another figure in the mirror that made him jump, turn around, and kneel down. Princess Luna. "So, it appears that you have discovered the Mirror of Verity, dear Paul." She walked over and put a hoof on his shoulder, causing him to bring his head up to look at her. "Do you understand what you see?"

Jack turned back around and looked at the Pegasus in the Mirror again. "Is...Is that...me?"

She smiled and stood next to him, draping a wing over his shoulders. "Indeed it is."

"H-How? I..." He looked down at himself again. "I look like this." He pointed at the mirror. "Nothing like that."

Luna smiled. "Well, not now you don't."

"What does that mean? Not now, not ever."

"You were never told? You mother never told you?"

"Told me what? She can't talk to me because of my father. And he won't let anything be said to me because the guy wants me dead because of-" he looked down and, to his surprise, was still wearing the Amulet, "-this!"

"I know too well that he wants you dead. I know also his reasoning for wanting the Amulet."

"Yeah, Eternal Life for his Master."

"But do you know who is Master is?"

Jack thought for a moment. "...It never came to mind to ask."

Luna closed her eyes and, to Jack's amazement, began to shrink. Soon, she was the same size as he was. When this was done, she spoke again. "This is going to come as a shock to you, Paul."

"Try me. At this point, I would believe anything."

She sighed. "Okay, prepare yourself. Your mother, Selena, is...a Pegasus."

When he heard this, his eyes shot open. He raised his hoof to his chest, as if he had just had the wind knocked out of him. "Okay...wasn't ready for that. WHAT?"

"Selena wasn't born on Earth, contrary to what her 'birth certificate' states. She was born, this may be another shock to you, in..."

"Shock? I've already had a heart attack, so hit me with your best-"

"...The Crystal Empire."

Jack hit the floor not one second later. When he recovered, he chocked out. "Now I'm going to assume that your going to say that my father's Master is, like, my grandfather, right?"

"...Well...actually..."

Jack's jaw hit the floor. "WHAT THE BUCK IS WRONG WITH MY LIFE?"

"Oh, how many good mares and stallions have said this for less."

He turned to face the royal mare. "Tell me everything you know."

"Well, in the beginning, my sister and I looked down on the chaos that would soon become the glorious land of Equestria. She first dipped her horn in the seas of the Celestial Zone to form-"

Jack lifted a hoof. "If it's not too much trouble, a little more recent please. And...how about something that has to do with me."

She laughed slightly before saying, "Of course. It all started a long time ago..."

**Flashback, about twenty years ago in Crystal Empire time~**

Selena, whose Equestrian name is Silk's Touch, was sitting in her room, looking out the window at the city below. Her father had locked her in the tower yet again, hiding her from his guests. He was always ashamed of her and her lack of horn. But that's what he got for marrying a Pegasus. He had a fifty-fifty chance, and luck had not smiled on him.

Though, back to Silk. She looked down on the kingdom her father dictated over. The Crystal Ponies' shine had died down to dull and sad. Her own fur coat barely kept its own color, her father treating little better than the ponies he ruled over.

As she looked, the door opened to reveal another Pegasus, one of the "more liked" servants. "Silk's Touch. Your father has told me to come and get you."

She sighed and walked over to the servant. "What is your name?"

"My...name?"

"I trust that you have one."

"...It's...Sleight. Sleight O' Hoof."

Silk lowered her head. "I'm so sorry, Sleight. If there was a way I could help you, I would."

"...Thank you...now, if you could come with me."

**~Present~**

Jack had a confused look on his face. "Sleight?"

Luna laughed at this. "You are surprised?"

"Well, a bit. I mean, that and the fact that...well...twenty years in Crystal Empire time?"

"It does not include the time in which it was missing from the face of Equestria."

"But...It only appeared again last year."

"Paul, what do you think happened to any of the Crystal Ponies that were outside of the Empire at the time?"

"Well...I assume that...they continued living like anypony else. But that would make me a couple thousand years old then."

"Well, in a sense, you are."

"Pardon?"

"When your mother gave birth to you, it was right before the Empire disappeared. What happened was any of the Ponies that were outside the Empire at the time were sent away from this dimension and trapped in time. You believe you are...how old?"

"Sixteen."

"You are closer to the age of one thousand sixteen. I suppose that, when you were sent from the dimension, you and your mother were taken to Earth. It was there that she named you Paul and met your 'father.'"

"Wait, if I was born before she met my father, then...who is my real father?"

"You cannot guess? There is a reason I told you what I did."

Jack put a hoof under his chin and thought a moment. Then, one name stuck out in his mind. "Sleight!"

Luna smiled. "You are correct."

"How do you know all of this?"

"I should be the one asking you how you do not know."

"What?"

"I looked into your thoughts. More importantly, your memories."

"How can that be in my memories if I wasn't even around at the time?"

"You are special beyond any belief, my dear Paul. Both your father and your grandfather are powerful unicorns, yet you are a Pegasus."

"It sounds like bad luck actually."

"Oh, but do you remember your task to make the potion?"

"How did...my memories, right. Anyway, yeah."

"Well, Zecorah sent me the bottle of your blood."

"That's just...kinda creepy."

"Actually, it confirmed my suspicions. It glows with a purity that nopony can equal. And, it alone has magical properties. I will allow you to know that, at one of the hospitals, we had a patient that had a disease that we could not use even magic to cure. I sent a small vial of your blood there and, I still don't know how, your blood cured it."

Jack's eyes opened wide when he heard this. Then, he held his head up high. "Look out, Chuck Norris! There's another BA in town."

Luna tilted her head. "What?"

"Oh, uh...never mind. So, I have magic in my blood, but no horn to direct it with. How am I supposed to use it?"

"We shall worry about that later. But for now, you know all you need. Your next task is back on Earth."

"Okay, so my task here was to listen to you?"

"Not exactly. But that was part of it. The other part we will get to when you are ready."

"When I'm ready? You told me that my mother is a Pegasus, my real father is a unicorn, I'm one of the most powerful ponies in history, and told me that my grandfather..." His eyes shot about when he connected the dots. "...is SOMBRA?"

"I truly am sorry about that, Paul. If it was different, none of this would have happened."

"My father's Master...my grandfather...is Sombra..."

She kissed his cheek gingerly. "I really am sorry."

Jack lifted his hoof to his cheek. "You...kissed me..."

Luna blushed. "Y-Yes, it appears that I have."

Jack's look of shock faded into one of shiftiness. "Well, I guess I have to make it up to the great princess of the night."

She blushed a deeper shade of red. "You know I can read your thoughts, right?"

"Then I assume you know what I'm thinking." He turned around to face her.

"Y-Y-Yes. But, you can't."

"Why can't I?"

"Well, it's...I'm allowed to do it to you, but..."

"If you recall, I'm a prince. I have royal stature as well."

"But, not as high as mine."

He took another step closer, so that their faces were only two inches apart. "Luna...when was the last time...you were kissed?"

"I...well...Tia...tucks me in at night...and kisses my forehead..."

"But...I mean...an actual kiss."

"...I don't...think I ever have...kissed anyone."

Jack smiled with true affection. "Neither have I."

"But...you...I thought you loved Fluttershy."

"I do, but there are several ponies everyday that might one day be with her. I want you to know I love you as well."

"But, what about Fluttershy?"

"If she doesn't want me, that's fine. I'll be the only one to say that my first kiss was also the first one of the princess Luna."

Luna turned her head away a little. "We just...can't Paul."

Jack's smile turned into a smirk. He tenderly placed his hoof on her face and turned it back. "You shrink down to my size for seemingly no reason. So, I'm giving you one." He leaned in slowly. "Fluttershy may not love me back, but you need someone to tell you 'I love you.' If things don't work out with her..." He closed his eyes. "..remember this."

His lips finally touched hers. She instantly pulled away and placed a hoof on her mouth. Then, she smiled. "I...I..."

Jack laughed. "Enjoy your first kiss?"

"I...did." She leaned back in. "And...I think I want my second."

Their lips met again. This time, for a longer time. And they added more feeling to it than a brush of the lips.

**Chapter Complete. Well, when I come back, I make a comeback. And who saw any of that happening? I guess I can't make one good guy without him being connected to the bad guy somehow. And...the part with...the kiss...I have a confession to make. During the Ordeal...I had a dream that...I was kissing her. I mean, I like Fluttershy a lot, but Luna is a close second, if not on equal ground. And, her having the ability to go into others dreams...yeah...anyway... **

**If any of you have any friends that have accounts, suggest this story to them. I need OC's and tasks like no one's business. R&R AND ADIOS!**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter XIII

**Finally, I'm back, my friends. I'm sorry that I'm so late, but I've been busy with stuff. Anyway, that's enough of an intro. THE FIC IS THE THING!**

Paul sat up in his bed, Fluttershy asleep on her own. He looked around the room a little before a mirror caught his eye. The reflection there was his normal one, except for one minor detail. His eyes, which had been brown since the day he was born, were blue. The same blue that the Mirror of Verity had shown them to be.

Seeing this, he freaked out. Everything up to that point, he had been okay with. But...this was magic. Real magic! And...he had the feeling that he had preformed it.

Behind him, he heard Fluttershy begin to wake up. In a frantic scurry around the room, he found a pair of shades and put them on. He didn't question the appearance of them, being the fact that they were still in Tristan's house.

He got up and began walking out of the room when a small voice stopped him. "Up so early?" Fluttershy asked with a yawn.

"Uh...I couldn't sleep."

"You were gone all night. Where were you taken?"

"Oh, Luna wanted to talk to me. Alone."

"About what?"

"I assume if she wanted you to know, you would have ended up the same place."

"Actually, this time the pendant didn't take me. Like...you completed the task and only you were rewarded."

He thought back to the occurrence of the night between him and Luna with a blush. "I... wouldn't call it a reward."

Fluttershy stood up and walked over to him, looking at his face. "Why are you wearing those?"

"What? The glasses?"

"Yeah. It's still dark out, you know."

"Oh...Uh...Style? Yeah, Style! Gotta keep up my figure, ya know."

She moved her hand up to the glasses, only to have them swatted away. She shrieked and cowered into a ball.

"Shy?" Paul knelt down beside her. "I'm...I'm sorry. I didn't mean-"

"No...no...don't be." She looked up with tear filled eyes. "It's just that...you once asked about my scratches. Back home...I was...I was..." She started crying again.

Paul wrapped her in his arms and held her close to his body. "I'm sorry. Whatever it is, I'm so sorry." Tears began to fill his own eyes as he rocked her back and forth. "What is it that happened?"

"I...A stallion has been living at my house. He...he beats me! But he threatened to kill my animals if I didn't go back to my house every time I-"

"Wait..." Paul let go of her for a second and stood up, pondering what she had just said. "He beats you every time you go back? How did he know that you can...stallion?"

"Y-Yes."

"Black stallion?"

"He always keeps the cottage dark."

Paul sneered and faced the mirror. "You weren't sent here on accident then."

Just then, Tristan threw open the door. His eyes were red and still full of sleep, which is why he came in. "You do realize it's one in the morning, right?"

"Tristan, just don't. I'm not in the mood right now."

"Then go back to sleep. You can do your task in the morning."

_"__He doesn't need to." _The voice came out of nowhere, yet from everywhere at the same time. Then, the room went pitch black except for a small patch of light where the three of them were. _"Ah, Paul, is it? I haven't had the honor, I believe."_

"Where are you?" Paul asked the air around him. The voice sounded too familiar for his liking.

_"__I am everywhere, yet nowhere. At your shoulder, yet across the room. I have been controlling you ever since the spell." _That's when the being took form. The same shadow that always appeared to his followers. The black silhouette of a unicorn.

Fluttershy hugged herself tightly. Tristan tensed up. Paul, however, stood there calmly and said, "It's about time, Grandfather."

Sombra laughed at this. "Is that anyway to talk to your elder?"

"When he's been a threat to first the ponies I love and now everything else I do, then yes, it is."

"Threat? I have yet to be a threat."

"You've beat Fluttershy!"

"Convinced is the word I chose."

"She's scratched all over the place."

"I needed somepony that could get close to you! Someone who would help me awaken your true self."

Paul turned from him to Fluttershy. "What is he talking about?"

"Paul...I..."

The unicorn threw back his head and laughed again. "She's been playing you like a harp. Everything has been a setup for right here and right now. My ponies were the ones who gave Twilight the spell. I'm the one who gave Fluttershy the pendant. And you are the one who will revive me to my fullest."

Paul turned back and closed his eyes to think. Tristan, however, pulled him back and whispered into his ear. "You can't help him!"

"What choice do I have? He has us at a checkmate."

"As long as you have the Amulet, you're winning."

"So you do have the Amulet." Walking up from behind Sombra were Marshall, Joseph, and the other four of his followers. Marshall began walking towards him. "I let you and your mother live under my roof. I provided for you! And this is who you repay me?"

"There wasn't any kindness to repay."

"You son of a-" He threw a punch at Paul's head, only to be thrown back violently. "What?"

"Finish your statement. I am the grandson of Sombra, and the son...of one of your closest friends." He took a quick glance at Joseph before turning back to Fluttershy and ripping the pendant off of her. "You want my Amulet? Catch us first." He threw the pendant down as hard as he could, causing a bright flash of light. When it faded, Paul, Tristan, Fluttershy, and Joseph were gone.

Seeing this, Sombra rose his head and let out a howl. "We were so close!" He dropped his head for a moment of silence, thinking over what had just happened. Then, he began to chuckle. A chuckle that turned into a bursting laugh. "Well, at least now, we now were he has to be. His precious princesses cannot keep him from us forever."

"Sir," Marshall said with a bow, "I'm sorry, but this is hardly a laughing matter."

"Oh, but it's so funny, knowing that you never checked to see if the boy had the Amulet on him at all!" He lifted his head, causing his shadowy horn to glow. This spell bound Marshall in chains before causing them all to vanish from the room.

**~Ponyville Library~**

The four of them ponified themselves before landing in the library with a soft _bump._ However, instead of just Fluttershy, Jack O' Trades, Vague Blaze, and Sleight O' Hoof, there was also a fifth pony in the room: Silk's Touch! Paul's own mother was brought there when the pendant was broken. She seemed shocked at the arrival though. "Where am I?"

Jack turned to her and asked, "Mom?"

"Paul? Is that you?"

He ran to her and hugged her tightly, feeling like he hadn't seen her in years. "Mom, how did you get here?"

"I don't know." She looked out the window and sighed. "I never thought I'd come back here."

"Silk?" Sleight walked up as the two Pegasi broke apart.

"Sleight? You're alive?"

"Did you expect anything less?"

She hugged him this time. "I thought I'd never see you again! I thought Father killed you."

The two held their embrace as the remaining members of the mane6 came running down the stairs. When they were at the bottom, they all ran over to Fluttershy and hugged her. Yes, hugged her. When Paul broke the pendant, the spell was broken.

However, the number of ponies in the room wasn't finished. Three more figures entered the room via Luna's magic door: Luna, Celestia, and a third gray Pegasus with reptilian amber about Luna's height. This one walked up to Jack and said, "Well, you're the one I have to put up with."

**Chapter Complete. Yes! I finally got this one up. I'm sooo sorry that this is so late, but I've been busy with stuff. Plus, I'm getting ready for camp and whatnot, so R&R, TASKS, OC's, and ADOIS!**


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter XIV

**Howdy, my friends, how about another chapter? Don't forget that I'm still taking all OC's and tasks that I can. This fic is far from over. Speaking of fics, isn't it THE THING!**

**Walker belongs to Nathan W. Boroff. I would suggest looking up his work BWMD.**

At the top of the mountain overlooking Ponyville, the place where the dragon resided once and the treasure still does, Shadow Sombra sat on a throne made up of bones. Extremely...reptilian looking bones. Before him were his four "faithful" followers, ponified all the same as black Earth ponies, with one silver striped one chained down directly in front of him. "Marshall...I'm sure by now you realize how disappointed I am with you."

He coughed up a little blood before answering with. "Y-Yes, M-M-Master..."

"And you realize I should kill you for this, correct?"

"As y-you command...Master."

"However, I am feeling oddly generous today and have decided to spare your life for the present time." He rose his head and the chains disappeared. The stripes, however, glowed dimly. "But this does not mean that you are free of my wrath. Those chains will bind you until your penance is served."

Marshall stood up slowly, then looked at Sombra. "Th-Thank you, Master."

"Why? I still have every intention to kill you where you stand right now. But you still have a greater purpose."

"And that is?"

"The boy who once called you father is awakening his true power. Once that happens, we will never get the Amulet. Unless..."

"Unless?"

"Unless...his true father and mentor are both decimated."

Marshall cocked his head to the side. "Mentor? Who is his mentor?"

"Another one of you useless humans, but from a world unknown. He was here once, but to him, it was only a dream. I am told he still believes it is." Though it couldn't be seen, Sombra smiled. "Prove him wrong."

**Meanwhile, in Ponyville town square...**

Jack, Blaze, and this strange third pony were walking around the town. When they had reached the edge, the third pony stopped. "You two must have been taught patience well."

"What do you mean?" Jack asked.

"We have walked around the whole of Ponyville, and neither of you has so much as asked my name. I admire your patience." He smirked at the two. "I am not a resident of this world. I'm a human, much like the kind I'm informed you two are."

"What's you name?"

"...Normally, I would go by Walker. However, seeing the...variety of names used here, call me...I don't know what you should call me."

Blaze placed a hoof to his chin. "Well...other than Walker, what are some of your nicknames?"

"Nicknames? I've been called several things. The Devil's Son and the Angel of Death come to mind. Only once have I been called a protector, but I'm not worthy of that title either."

"Hmm...Hell's Angel?"

"Uh, no. How about something...a little more positive for once?"

Jack, looking for a name, took a glance at his Cutie Mark, the white and black swords clashing. "How about...Chaos' Blade?"

Walker thought about it for a second. "Chaos' Blade? Hmm...it does seem fitting. I guess it'll do fine. While we are here, refer to me as such."

"Okay...Blade. Why are you here exactly?"

"It may be easier to call me Chaos, so you don't mix me up with Blaze here. To be honest, this is my second time here. Though...the first time was a complete dream in which everyone-"

"Every_pony!_" Blaze corrected.

"Right, sorry. Anyway, everypony here was reverted into the exact opposite of who they were. Spike and I were given the task to try and revert everyone back. But...the last thing I remember is Spike being hit by a beam of light, then another flashing in front of my own eyes. I always assumed that that was a dream." He looked around himself. "I guess I was wrong."

"Okay...but that doesn't exactly explain why you are here now," Jack pointed out.

"Right...about that. I was asked and..." He looked down at himself. "...convinced by Princess Celestia to take you 'under my wing' as it were. My job is to make sure you know how to use your power."

His eyes lit up. "You're going to teach me...to use MAGIC? AWESOME!"

"Whoa there, partner, not so fast. I can't teach you to use you're magic. That you'll have to figure on your own. I'm going to teach you how to direct and harness it."

"Why did the princesses call you here?"

Chaos looked around before turning right to Blaze. "Excuse me, Tristan. Would you be so kind as to stand over there?"

"Uh...okay?" The named Pegasus flew off a good distance from the other two and landed. "This good?" he shouted.

"That's great!" Chaos turned back to Jack. "Know, about your...condition. The princesses called me here because they want me to teach you how to channel your power. As you can see, I don't have a horn either."

"But you can use magic?"

"Exactly. Well...not exactly. I can't use magic. Where I'm from, we call them miracles, being the fact that only the most blessed beings in the universe can have the privilege of using them."

"Okay, but how do you use them?"

"First off, our methods are going to be different, considering the fact that ponies don't need words to indicate what they are doing. Well, some of us don't, but it'll take a lot of energy and focus to do it, so I'm going to say the words for the current." He turned to Blaze, held out his hoof, and said in a voice that wasn't quite human, wasn't quite growling, _"__Mani Rhinous Vague Blaze!"_

His hoof began to glow the same orange-amber color as his wings. Then, the color imploded, at the same time blowing Blaze off his feet and into the air. When he recovered with a few flaps of his wings, he flew over and got right in Chaos' face. "What the buck was that for?"

"Well, first off, I was giving an example to your friend. Second, I was given a glance of your dreams once, Blaze. You happen to be a fan of this...Sky's Rim thing, am I right?"

"You mean Skyrim? Buck yeah!"

"Well, I seemed to recall you doing something just like that once."

"...Oh yeah! Fus Ro Da!"

"I found it fitting that you should feel how it felt to have it happen to you. Shame on you, blowing those guards into the tavern wall. Shame." After this lecture, Chaos turned back to Jack. "But do you get the concept? Since you have no horn, you need the next best thing to direct the magic. And what better way than what humans have always used to direct things? The ha- hooves." He dropped his hoof and turned away from the two friends. "I want you to practice for the next time. From then on, you'll be doing tasks for me, and you actually learn something." He spread his wings and took to the sky faster than Rainbow Dash could do in a second.

After recovering from the shock of this, Blaze and Jack turned to each other. "So...your teacher is the most blessed being here?"

"Apparently. But, if he can teach me how to fight my grandfather, we'll be fine.

"Who's to say he actually will? He called himself the Angel of Death, if you recall."

"What choice do we have? It's trust him...or be assured to lose."

**Chapter Complete. Yes, this is up, but it's going to be a long time before I get anything else up. And yes, Walker is back. He was the only guy I could think of that could teach Paul/Jack O' Trades how to use his magic without the horn. And don't forget to give me all the tasks and OC's you can. This is still going strong. Oh, and as I said before, I would definitely look up Nathan W. Boroff's BWMD. It's a great read if you ask me. So R&R AND ADIOS!**


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter XV

**WHAT TIME IS IT? WHAT TIME IS IT? WHAT TIME IS IT? WHAT TIME IS IT? WHAT TIME IS IT? WHAT TIME IS IT? WHAT TIME IS IT? WHAT TIME IS IT? WHAT TIME IS IT? WHAT TIME IS IT? WHAT TIME IS IT? Time to thank the magic of copy and paste. Before I start this story, I just want to say that Chaos' Blade might end up being the official ponification of Nathan W. Boroff's Walker. He hasn't said yet, but I can feel it. Now, before I try any other antics, THE FIC IS THE THING!**

Marshall, who had taken the name of Chain Revelation on Equestria, stumbled around the streets of Ponyville. Sombra had used a spell on him that the every time he thought to run from his task, he would have the same feeling of blood loss from his previous torture. Already, he was lightheaded from it.

"That boy, when I find him..."

His thoughts were interrupted by a flash of color in front of his eyes, blinding him. Never before had something of this brightness intruded upon his line of sight. He stumbled, knocking over a barrel of apples. "What was..."

"'Scuse me, sir?" Chain turned to see the mare who own the barrel of fallen fruit. A certain orange Earth pony with a western draw. "Y'all may not be a fan of apples, bu' ya' don' have ta' buck 'em over."

"Don't blame me! This...thing attacked me!"

"...Pardon? Thing? If ya don' mind me sayin', there's an awful lot of 'things' in Ponyville."

Chain spat at Applejack's hooves. "Incompetent mare, what do you know? Leave me to do my business, which I would trust you stay out of."

She cocked her head to the side. "Uh...alrigh', if ya say so."

"Good, now, as you-" the same bright flash of color knocked him back into a building this time. "What in the name of my ancestors? It's back!" He jumped up and bolted off into the distance. "IT'S TRYING TO KILL ME!"

Applejack was not very amused by this. She looked up and cocked an eyebrow at her fruit stand sign. "Pinkie, y'all need ta learn ta stop jumpin' out at folks like tha'."

From seemingly nowhere, Pinkie Pie's head popped out from behind the sign and turned to AJ. "Ididn'tknowhewouldgetsoscaredI'mnotthatscaryamIIj ustliketosurpriseponiesnotscarethemIguesssomeponie scan't-"

"And ya' need to learn to slow down yer talkin' too."

After a second or two, the pink mare's head, ever so slightly, began to move up and then back down. "I...said...I...did...n't...know...he...would..."

"Ya know wha'? Never mind."

Leaving the two mares, let's look back at Marshall for a while. He was running at top speed through the streets with a new-found vigor. The pink creature might have still been at his heels and he would have never known it...had he not at one point fell into the town square fountain. He tripped right over the side and landed, head first, into the waters, the fountain pouring right onto his tail.

"I'm not cut out for this job."

"I'll say."

Chain looked up and saw yet another one of Equestria's many ponies. A blue mare with a starry cape and hat was looking at him with a confused look. "Might I ask what you believe you are doing?"

Carefully, he stood up, got out of the fountain, and looked her straight in the face. "What is it to you what I do in my free time?"

"Nothing at all. But the Great and Powerful Trixie likes to know the reasoning behind you're antics."

"The Tired and Annoyed Chain Revelation doesn't need to tell you."

Trixie laughed at this. "Another one? I didn't know we had to brilliant minds in Ponyville."

"Brilliant minds?"

"But of course. But enough of that, and since introductions are out of the way, why don't you come with me?"

"Why?"

"Well, it appears that you are a pony that is fond of swimming, so I was going to go to a lake in the Everfree forest. Normally, I would swim by myself, but why don't you come?"

"I'm sorry, but I have work to do. I'm looking for a Stallion by the name of Jack O' Trades."

"Oh, but I know him."

"You do?"

"Of course."

"Tell me where I can find him."

Trixie got right up in his face, a tempting look in her eyes. "Come swim with me first."

**Meanwhile, back at the Library...**

"MANI RHINOS!" Even as Jack tried it for the seventeenth time, the rock was still in the same place it was to begin with. "What am I doing wrong?"

Blaze, currently wearing a professor's coat and Einstein wig for no discernible reason, and Spike, wearing...his usual apparel, were drawing up an elaborate diagram on a chalk board. "Hmm..." Blaze said with a hoof on his chin. "It appears that the time has come to tell you, Jack."

"Tell me...what?"

Spike jumped turned to Blaze. "Are you sure we should tell him?"

"It is only right that he knows."

"That I know what?"

"But he's not ready."

"O, is a Stallion ever ready for the time upon which things are revealed to him?"

"Can't we wait just a few more minutes? He's already working so hard."

"He must know, for we cannot finish our work unless he knows."

"WHAT THE BUCK ARE YOU TWO TALKING ABOUT?"

"Jack, I want you to prepare yourself."

"Okay, I'm ready!"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Positive?"

"TELL ME!"

Blaze cleared his throat and said, "This may come to you as a bit of a shock." He flipped the chalk board over, revealing several games of tic tac toe. "But we ran out of room on this board and are in need of another one."

Jack stared at his friend for a second before pounding his hoof into his own forehead as hard as he could repeatedly. When he stopped, there was a small trickle of blood pouring from his forehead, in front of which a vial magically appeared.

That's when Twilight walked up to them. "Sorry, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to run some tests on this."

When she had said this, Jack turned away, laughing sarcastically. "Oh, I'm sorry. Go ahead! Do you want me to cut one of my back hooves next? Or who about I just turned myself over to my grandfather, hand him the Moses Amulet, and then have him kill me? Then you can have as much of my blood as you want."

"Jack...I'm-"

"SHUT UP!" He spread his wings and shot up into the sky, flying as fast as he could manage and landing on a cloud far away from Ponyville. When he had finally stopped, he sunk down and began crying.

"It's not easy being special, is it?"

Jack looked up to see Chaos standing over him, smiling tenderly. He immediately stood up, wiped away his tears, and asked, "Are you going to give me my first task now?"

Chaos laughed. "Sit down, child. I know what you've been through."

He did as he was told and sat back down. "No you don't."

"Jack, I know how hard it is to suddenly know that you are a powerful being. And I know it's harder trying to cope with people who want to know all about it." Chaos looked off into the distance. "I also know what it's like to be lied to."

"What do you mean?"

"I grew up as a simple commoner on my home planet of Pacemque Duraret. I had no idea that I was so much more. But now, it's too late. The world I knew is over two thousand years gone."

"You're two thousand years old?"

"Two thousand twenty-two, though I still and the age of a seventeen-year-old, the mind of a fifty-year-old, and the patience of those dead and gone. But never mind my age, you and I are alike in many ways."

"How? You are amazing. You can use miracles and I've heard stories of how you fight. I'm nothing like that."

"Ah, but you see, what you are is locked inside this shell you call a body. A person or pony is not made of up deeds and looks, but rather, who they are inside their mind and their heart. Some of them have really easy ways of showing who they really are."

Jack's hoof instantly flew to his saddle bag and brought out the potion.

"Yes, Jack. That potion is the block between this form and your true form. In your true form, you will instantly know how to use your power to the fullest. But, where is the pleasure in just knowing with experience? And, you already have some power now."

"How do you figure? I spent half an hour yelling at a rock to move."

"I heard, and for the record, it's not 'Mani Rhinos Rock,' it's _Mani Rhinos Rockus._ But that's beyond the point. I ran a test on a scrap of the pendant that came off during your visit here and discovered there was nothing special about it."

This caught Jack off guard. "Nothing?"

"Nothing. The tasks were given to you through it by a spell cast by Sombra, but other than that, it's useless. It didn't have the power to transport all of you from world to world. You did that. So here is your first task: Decide whither to have instant power, instant knowledge...or to learn under me and gain this experience yourself, and not from a bottle."

Jack looked at the bottle. He had to decide to drink it then or two drink it later after his training. "Will I ever turn into my real self?"

"The potion will permanently change your physical appearance as well as give you your full power. But that is a minor aspect to consider."

After thinking it over for a while, Jack looked up at Chaos. "I guess it would be a waste of your time if I drink this now." He smiled as he placed it back into his saddlebag.

Chaos smirked when he did this. "Then let the training begin."

**Chapter Complete. Yeah, I'm back from camp and back to writing for a while before the next big thing. And, I just want to say thank you to those people who helped me with this fic thus far. At the end, as a sort of credits thing, I'm going to type up the usernames and what that person did. So, if you want to be in the credits, give me an OC and/or task and I'll recognize you for it. Until then, R&R AND ADIOS!**


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter XVI

**I'm back with yet another chapter of this fic. I'm hoping that you guys are really liking this up and telling your friends because I still need tasks to get to my goal of at least thirty chapters. Oh, and if any of you know where I can watch the Anime ****_Detective Conan,_****please tell me. I'm...kinda hooked. Anyway, THE FIC IS THE THING!**

Chain looked into the eyes of the mare who was on his chest as they lay on the beach of the small pond, both of them panting hard. Trixie had gotten him to do so much more than just go swimming with her, and he was one to complain with what he was given. "Wow...Magic makes this so much better."

"Doesn't it just?"

"You really know how to show a stallion a good time, Trixie."

"I know. I wish we could do that more often."

"Alas my dear, I have a job to do."

"Ah, right. You need to find this Jack O' Trades. Yeah, he's been in and out of Ponyville for a while."

"I've noticed."

"Why do you need to find him so badly?"

Chain hesitated for a second before saying, "He's my son."

Trixie's eyes shot open when he said this. "How old are you?"

"Forty odd."

"I...just...with an older stallion?"

"I'm afraid so."

She thought about this for a moment before her face softened again. "Well, I have been attracted to that kind."

"Then I'm glad you enjoyed it. Now, where can I find him?"

"I...He usually has been in Ponyville town square, but the princesses have grown rather fond of him lately, so he may be in Canterlot now. It's hard to tell."

"Hmm...Canterlot...that's where these princesses live? Then that's where I'll start looking."

"Yes...but first." Trixie leaned in and placed her lips upon his again.

Chain simply broke out of this embrace. "I can't, Trixie. I need to find my son."

"You can't stop for a few more minutes to give me a good-bye kiss?"

"No, I ca-"

She caught him with his mouth open and slammed her mouth onto his. Unable to break out of this embrace, he went with it, allowing his tongue to join hers in a ballet. He supposed that he should enjoy it while he could, seeing that his master would punish him for this delay.

**Meanwhile, at Fluttershy's...**

Jack looked into Fluttershy's eyes and asked, "Are you ready?"

"Are you sure about this?"

"Yes, Nathan told me to."

"But, how will this help in your training?"

"He must have some use for it."

"Well, as long as you're sure about this."

"Trust me, Shy."

He slowly began to move his hips to an unsung beat. Shy followed as they moved together. Slowly at first, but they picked up speed as they got closer.

"Jack...I can't go much farther."

"Just a little longer. You can do it."

"Jack...I'm...I'm gonna-"

She didn't finished her statement before the two of them fell down the stairs, dropping the box of bells and strings onto their heads. Chaos ran in to inspect what had made the sound. "Careful you two. We need those."

Jack rubbed his head before asking, "And why exactly is that?"

With a smirk, Chaos walked up and began tying the bells on Jack in several places. "I'm going to be giving you standard Walker training as part of your regular training. First up, stealth. Blaze is currently blissfully unaware of this, seeing as he is on a date with Rainbow Dash at the present."

"He is?"

"I'm really good at persuading."

"You beat her in a race, didn't you?"

"Anyway, I've noticed that for you to use your magic, you must concentrate and believe that you can do it. So, I want you to believe that you are unseen and unheard as you stalk Blaze. Give me a detailed report on his date."

"How is just believing that I'm silent and invisible going to make it happen?"

"Like I said earlier with the pendant, you made that happen just because of the moral booster given by it. You thought you were going to go back to Equestria, so you did. Just believe in yourself."

Jack placed a hoof on his chin for a moment before nodding and closing his eyes, concentrating hard on becoming practically nothing. And from the gasp from Fluttershy, he assumed it had worked.

"Jack, if you are still in the room, tap me twice."

He obliged, and tapped Chaos' wing with his own.

"Good, now, get me that report ASAP. The faster you get it, the faster I'll allow you to become you again."

Swiftly, Jack flew out the door, which could only be known by the door flying open. Fluttershy held her chest and tried to slow her breathing. "How long his Blaze's date?"

"Oh, it should be over by the time they get to Sugar Cube Corner. I've placed a...ahem..._special_ order with Pinkie Pie."

"What kind of special order?"

"It involves something with confetti and exploding cupcakes. She didn't go into specifics. Now, await for Jack to return back here and tell him to give his report to you. I'll be back in a while."

"Where are you going?"

"I need to ask the princesses something." Without another word, Chaos was out the door as well.

**Meanwhile, on the way to Sugar Cube Corner...**

"Wow, Blaze, I didn't know that you were that into me."

"You must have fans, Dash."

"But...I didn't think anyone loved...me. Like, the real me."

"The real you is the one I fell in love with. Hiding what you are is not the way to get true admiration."

"Where did you get that?"

"A friend of mine. He gives good advice once in a while."

"Well," Rainbow Dash put her head on Blaze's shoulder, "he helped you to say the right things."

When the two of them entered the snack shack, a certain excitable pink mare popped up in a butler's tuxedo and said, "Welcome to Sugar Cube Corner. My name is Pinkameda Dianne Pie and I will be your waitress. Please, if you will follow me." She led them to a booth by the window, right next to on that Jack had chosen to sit at to continue his investigation. "Now, can I interest the happy couple in a drink?"

"Uh, Pinkie?" Rainbow asked.

"Tonight, I am Pinkameda Dianne."

"Right...what happened to you?"

"What do you mean? Am I not allowed to be serious for once?"

Blaze, Jack, and Rainbow all chuckled behind their hooves when she said this. "You never have been before. What are you hiding?"

"What?"

"You're hair is still inflated, so you must have something planned."

"That just means I'm in a good mood. Now, drinks?"

They both settled for water and when the mare had brought these, she said, "And, for the lovely couples convenience, a stallion stopped by earlier and ordered your meal. He said that no prince was too high, so the Cakes and I made quite a bit of profit. Anyway, I will returned with them in a second."

Jack's curiosity had gotten the better of him, so he flipped a bit onto the table then followed her back into the kitchen. It was there that Pinkie transformed from Waitress Pinkameda to Baker Pinkie. But this Baker wore a devious smile on her face. "Yes, Chaos was extremely descriptive."

Jack watched her take out ingredients such as eggs, milk, flour, frosting, sprinkles, and whatnot. You know, your basic cupcake materials. But after that, she took out confetti, tin foil, fuses, and hollow candles. It didn't take long for Jack to figure out what was going on and he began laughing again.

"Who's there?" Pinkie asked as she shot her head around the room.

_Thomas! I've been discovered!_ Jack thought and looked down at himself. He was slowly fading back into existence. "Uh...I am the ghost of the previous owner of this bakery."

"Mr. Wheat Art?"

"Y-Yes? Yeah. Wheat Art. I've come to give you a message Pinkie."

"What is it?"

"The couple you intend to give these cupcakes too will not be pleased if they are given cupcakes that explode after a wick is burnt down."

"Well, it is a prank."

"You should put a balloon in them, that will pop when bitten."

"Hey...that's a great idea! Thank you, Wheaty!"

"No proble-" _Jingle-Jingle._ "...problem."

Pinkie's head dashed to the direction of the bells. "Jack! What are you doing here?"

"Please don't rat me out. I'm doing a job for my mentor."

"And that is?"

"Basically spy on Blaze and Dash's date."

"Oh, learning stealth right?" She vanished under her counter and then popped up as Ninja Pinkie. "Becoming one with the night. Silent but deadly. Able to scale tall building with use of your ninja climbing claws."

"Uh...I have wings."

"Right, but you get what I mean."

"Yeah. But anyway, I just need to record up to the end of their time here and then report back to base."

"Without Blaze knowing you were here?"

"Exactly."

Pinkie smirked again. "It would be a shame if they found out."

"Please don't. Please, I'll do anything!"

"Anything?"

"Yes, anything."

"Will you ninja around with me later?"

"Sure, whatever." He turned to leave, but Pinkie simply popped up in his face. "Oh, you don't want to leave yet."

"I don't?"

"You want to kiss me first."

"I do?"

"You want to seal your promise with a kiss or else I'll tell Blaze everything."

"Pinkie, I'm too old for you."

"You don't look it."

"Be that as it may, I still can't."

"Hmm...don't care." She quickly placed her lips on his.

**Meanwhile, in Celestia's Bedroom...**

Celestia was looking over the notes Chaos had given to her about the training he had in mind for Jack. She has to know exactly what he was going through, or she wouldn't know when he was ready.

A knock came to the door. "Enter."

A strange creature did as he was told, a being that stood about as tall as her sister, but was engulfed in a gray cloak that covered everything except the lower half of his face. "Princess."

"Walker. You've reverted back to your human state."

"Not by choice. But I need to tell you something."

"Anything."

"You may want to rethink your trust in me."

"What do you mean?"

"Well...I have a habit of becoming...something else at times."

"Such as?"

"Just as long I keep my calm, I should be fine. But here, take this." He took out a small device and placed it on her desk.

"What does it do?"

"If I made it correctly, it should engulf me in my own soul energy and send me back to my own world."

"And if I have to use it before his training is over?"

"Then use those notes I gave you. Give those to Twilight. She'll figure it out."

"I can only hope."

**Chapter Complete. Well, that was a long one by comparison. I hope you guys are enjoying this fic, because I still need tasks to draw out this story as long as possible. Anywho, R&R AND TELL YOUR FRIENDS!**


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter XVII

**Hello, Fanfictioneers! GPB is here with his next chapter. Now, I know what you all are thinking. How do I have so much info on Nathan W. Boroff's Walker before he has written the books. Well...he and I are really good friends. Plus, our writing styles are really similar, so naturally, we draw off of each other. So don't be amazed if you find Crossback or something I've written in his stories. Anywho, THE FIC IS THE THING!**

**Special thanks to RainblackDash, Gearfox, and ThunderDash45 for the ideas used in this chapter.**

_So...this is Canterlot. _Chain strained his eyes from the color that surrounded him in the city. The shops, the ponies, the flora, the fauna, everything aggravated his sight. Even the sounds were harmful to him.

The first thing he did on his way to the castle was trip over a set of wubs, strategically placed to cause anypony to trip it seemed like. Vinyl Scratch, hearing this, ran out of the nearby store to investigate. "Ah, man! You ruined my wubs!"

"Your...what?"

"My wubs! These were positioned so that everypony in Canterlot would be able to hear my friend Octavia's recital! She's been practicing all week with her Cello!"

Chain scoffed at this. "Cello? Oh, please. That's pathetic."

"Oh, like you can play an instrument."

"Do you have a fiddle on you?"

Vinyl reached off to the side and picked one off of the conveniently placed table of classical instruments and hoofed him one. "Octavia always said this was a violin."

"Well, she's wrong."

He began to tune it when a certain dark blue Pegasus trotted up with saddlebags full of supplies for Zecora. Shadow Runner turned to Chain and asked, "Mind if I play along?"

"Do you know _Devil went down to Georgia_?"

"Do you know it?"

"Of course I do."

"Then I can learn it." He pulled out violin of his own and began to tune it. "I'll do the Johnny bits, you do the devil bits, and we come together on the other parts, deal?"

"I thought you didn't know it?"

"Never mind that. Shut up and play."

_The Devil went down to Georgia. He was lookin' for a soul to steal.__  
__He was in a bind 'cause he was way behind. He was willing to make a deal__  
__When he came across this young man sawin' on a fiddle and playin' it hot.__  
__And the Devil jumped upon a hickory stump and said "Boy, let me tell you what."___

_"I bet you didn't know it, but I'm a fiddle player, too.__  
__And if you'd care to take a dare I'll make a bet with you.__  
__Now you play a pretty good fiddle, boy, but give the Devil his due.__  
__I'll bet a fiddle of gold against your soul 'cause I think I'm better than you."___

_The boy said, "My name's Johnny, and it might be a sin,__  
__But I'll take your bet; and you're gonna regret 'cause I'm the best there's ever been."___

_Johnny, rosin up your bow and play your fiddle hard.__  
__'Cause Hell's broke loose in Georgia and the Devil deals the cards.__  
__And if you win you get this shiny fiddle made of gold,__  
__But if you lose the devil gets your soul.___

_The Devil opened up his case and he said, "I'll start this show."__  
__And fire flew from his fingertips as he rosined up his bow.__  
__And he pulled the bow across the strings and it made an evil hiss.__  
__And a band of demons joined in and it sounded something like this.___

_When the Devil finished, Johnny said, "Well, you're pretty good ol' son,__  
__But sit down in that chair right there and let me show you how it's done."___

_"Fire on the Mountain." Run, boys, run!__  
__The Devil's in the house of the rising sun;__  
__Chicken's in the bread pan picking out dough.__  
__Granny, does your dog bite? No, child, no.___

_The Devil bowed his head because he knew that he'd been beat.__  
__And he laid that golden fiddle on the ground at Johnny's feet.__  
__Johnny said, "Devil, just come on back if you ever wanna try again,__  
__'Cause I've told you once-you son of a gun-I'm the best there's ever been."__  
__And he played:___

_"Fire on the Mountain." Run, boys, run!__  
__The Devil's in the house of the rising sun;__  
__Chicken's in the bread pan picking out dough.__  
__Granny, does your dog bite? No, child, no._

The duet had drawn quite a crowd that went crazy when they finished. Shadow turned to Chain and said, "Nice playing there."

"You aren't so bad yourself."

"My name is Shadow Runner. What's yours?"

"Chain Revelation. Now, unless this crowd wants an encore, I really need to see the princesses now."

"Why is that?"

"I'm...looking for somepony. Now, excuse me." With that, he trotted off towards the castle.

**Meanwhile, in the Library...**

Jack finished his report to Fluttershy just as Chaos walked in the door with another Pegasus he lead with a rope around his neck. He was light gray all over except for his red eyes and his tornado Cutie Mark. "Jack, Fluttershy, I would like you to meet a new friend of mine and the princesses. This is Aerial Winds. He's going to be vital in our training together."

Aerial blew back his mane out of his face and looked at the two other Pegasi. "Hey."

"He's been under the watch of the princesses for a while."

"For what exactly?" Jack asked, already having felt the rebellious air around the new Pegasus.

"Supposedly, he is responsible for the initial resurrection of Sombra."

"Hey, I didn't know what I was doing."

"The fact remains that there is still a group of ponies after the pendant around Jack's neck." Chaos looked at the aforementioned pony. "I know where that goes. For the longest time, I didn't believe the stories. And then, I saw the garden. I felt the flames of the gate on my face." He shook his head. "But that doesn't matter now. He's going to help us because you need to learn how to use your magic ASAP."

"Why is that?"

"We're out of time. It's either you learn magic now, or die trying."

"But, what about my training?"

"Just follow me."

**Meanwhile, in town square...**

Sleight and Silk were just sitting on one of the benches, looking around at the other ponies. Sleight, however, was a little on the edge.

"What's troubling you?" Silk asked in a worried tone.

"Well, my dear, I'm worried for Jack. He doesn't understand how to use his magic yet, and that Chaos' Blade is just having him shout at rocks and whatnot."

"The princesses trust him. He helped them last time in their hour of need."

"But I don't see how running around is going to help him."

"I'm sure he knows what he's doing."

Sleight sighed at this. "Still..."

Silk leaned over and put her head on Sleight's chest. "He's your son. He'll find a way to stand up to my father."

"...Uh, Silk?"

"Yes?"

"There's...something I've been meaning to ask you."

"What is it?"

"Well...it's come to my attention that...Jack never grew up with his actual father...and we never had a chance to...to..." He turned his head.

"To what?"

"To...make amends for our mistake."

"What mistake is that?"

"Our son...I've felt guilty for not doing this before. And this may be the only time I get to ask it." He got off the bench and knelt in front of Silk. Then, he retrieved a box from his saddlebag and opened it before her, revealing a golden bracelet. "Will you marry me?"

**At the Everfree Forest...**

Jack, Chaos, Aerial, Blaze, and Fluttershy all stood at the edge of the forest. Chaos turned to the others and said, "Today, we will be helping Jack learn how to use his magic. I've figured out that you only have to believe that you can do something, and you can do it. For example, you believed you could be invisible, so you became invisible. So, for this final test, you must use your belief to find the four of us in this forest."

"Wait, what?"

"READY?"

"What? No!"

"SET!"

"Give me a-"

"GO!"

There was a flash of light and the four of them vanished to different parts of the forest. However, they were unaware of a sixth Pegasus that would interfere with the whole thing.

A blue Pegasus (with a red mane, matching blood red eyes, streaks of blue running through it, with a Cutie Mark that was in the shape of a gray pony, shaded blue on the inside, a fireball surrounding it with lighter blue on the outside of it) sat at the edge of a pool, looking at herself.

Her reflection brought back memories. Bad memories. Memories of service to that monster, so many years ago, yet so close it could have been yesterday.

_"__You incompetent, useless mule! I gave you a simple task!"_

_"__I'm sorry, my liege."_

She began to breathe harder and harder, the air trying to escape her.

_"__'I'm sorry'? That's the best you can give me? You let them escape!"_

_"__I couldn't help it! They sneaked by me!"_

She could still feel the place where he cut her cheek. She began to cry, the pain still there.

"Hello?"

She looked up and saw Jack, staring at her from across the pool. She shrieked slightly and jumped into the air.

"No no no. You don't have to be scared. My name is Jack. What's yours?"

"F-Fire Fleet." She slowly landed back at the edge of the pool and looked in.

"What are you doing out here?"

"...This is where I live."

"Like Zecora?"

"Who?"

"The zebra that lives out here?"

"Oh, I've never met her. You are the first pony I've met in a long time."

"Why is that?"

"...I'd...rather not talk about it."

"I can respect that. Well, if you excuse me." Jack began to walk off to actually start his search for the others.

"Wait!" Fleet flew over to his side. "I haven't had company in a long time. Can I...can I come with you?"

"I don't see why not." With that, they began the search.

**Chapter Complete. Alright, two things. This chapter stunk I know, but give me a break. And two, this fic is coming to an end. I said I wanted this to at least reach twenty, and it looks like that's all the further it's going to get. So all tasks need to stop as well as OC's. Anywho, R&R AND ADIOS!**


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter XVIII

**I... HAVE ARRIVED! Yeah, sorry, I've been sidetracked. But that is beyond the point. It is time for the next chapter, so THE FIC IS THE THING!**

"Halt! State your name and intent!"

_How many of these guys are there? _Chain thought to himself as yet another Canterlot Guard came up to him. "Name: Revelation, Chain. Intent: To seek audience with the Princess."

"And why is that?"

"Because I'm looking for answers only she can give me."

"Right... I'm sorry, sir. But I can't just let any other stallion into the audience chamber."

"Really? But the Princess asked for me personally."

"Like I've never heard that before. I apologize, but your trip has been in vain."

"Okay." He turned around and began to trot off. "I guess Shining Armor will just have to be furious with you."

This caught the guard's attention. "What? Why would he be furious?"

"Well, he is the one who brought my summons from the Princess. It would be a shame if his journey was in vain because the guards wouldn't allow 'some stallion' to see the her."

"Oh, my apologies." He stepped aside from the door. "Right this way, sir. And..." He looked to the sides before leaning in close. "...do you think you can put in a good word for me?"

"I'll see what I can do." Chain walked into the chamber and was nearly driven to the ground by the sheer amount of color on the Princess alone. Slowly and carefully working his way towards the throne, he knelt, or rather fell, in front of Celestia.

"Arise, Marshal."

Chain's eyes opened wide with shock. "How do you know my name?"

"My sister is good friends with your 'son'. She learned all about you from him. Clever of Sombra to make you look like Paul's...what was it? OC of you." She stood up and stepped right in front of Chain. "Now, why have you come here?"

"I'm looking for Paul. He has something that belongs to me."

"If you are referring to the Moses Amulet, than you are lying. That relic is too dangerous for anyone to use."

"Too dangerous for a fool such as yourself, perhaps. But all I need is to get it to my master."

"Sombra must never be revived to his fullest."

"I DON'T HAVE A CHOICE!" There was silence in the room while he caught his breath. "Do you see these stripes? They are chains that bind my very soul! If he gets the Amulet, I will be free!"

"He can't have it, Marshal."

"Would you rather he torture me?"

"One stallion who deserves to die against both my and your whole worlds. I believe the choice is clear."

"YOU'RE USELESS! Every second I spend away from him, he saps my strength. I will die without that Amulet!"

"You killed your own kind to receive that Amulet. If I were to help you, it would be like betraying my whole world."

"Fine, if you won't help me find it, then at least tell me where the boy is."

"I can't."

"Tell me now, or I'll-"

"No, I mean I am not physically able at the current time. My sister knows everything about him. And I'm not waking her up now just because you need to know something."

"Oh, really?"

**Meanwhile in Everfree...**

Jack and Fleet continued the search for the other four ponies. Jack had his eyes closed, trying hard to concentrate on the position of the ponies while Fleet scanned the woods for anything out of the ordinary.

And such a thing happened. There was a rustle to their left in the trees. "Hello?" Jack called. "Is anypony out there?"

The rustling moved to their right. Jack began to focus on sharpening his wings. As he did so, the ground around his hooves began to heat up.

Then, all of a sudden, a certain pink mare in a ninja costume jumped out of the bushes, causing Fleet to hop behind Jack. "I thought I'd find you in here."

"Pinkie! What are you doing here?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

"If it was, would I be asking?"

"Okay, fine. You promised to ninja around with me later. Well, I didn't see you in town, so I started without you."

"Pinkie, I'm a bit busy right at the moment."

"...but...you promised."

"I know, but-"

"You...PROMISED!" Her voice dropped to a demonic tone when she said this. She took a few steps forward before a wall of flames separated the two.

Fleet screamed as the fire wall went up. This caused it to falter and fall to the ground as Fleet did the same. She was back in her usual fetal position. "Make it stop! MAKE IT STOP!"

Jack knelt down next to her, placing a wing over her shoulders. "Fleet? What's wrong?"

She wouldn't answer, only continue to sob and rock back and forth.

"I'm...I'm sorry." Pinkie knelt down in front of the blue Pegasus. "I didn't think I would scare you."

"N-No. No. I should be sorry. It's just that...your voice reminded me of...Oh, I don't want to think about it."

Jack hugged her tightly. "It's okay, Fleet. Whatever it is, it can't hurt you now."

"But he can! He will always hurt me! Just like he hurt my daddy."

As Jack continued to console her, Pinkie tapped him on the shoulder and whispered, "I think I saw Blaze over there."

Jack looked over his shoulder and saw a slight patch of red in the bushes. Then, he smiled and said out loud, "You know, Fleet, I'm not exactly sure were that fire came from, but it sure was a _Vague Blaze._"

Upon hearing his name, Blaze lifted his head. "How did you...Whoops!"

In a flash, Jack was in the air and diving for his friend, tackling him to the ground. "Well, there's one down."

"That's not fair!"

"All's fair in love and war, my friend."

**Meanwhile, in the Library...**

"I'm sorry, Mr. Hoof, but I can't just send a letter like that to the Princesses."

Sleight and Silk were currently sitting down in the main room of the library, Twilight across from them. They were trying to convince her to send a letter to the Princesses about the wedding.

"Twilight, you are a princess as well, are you not?"

"Yes."

"Then why can't you talk to Celestia as an equal?"

"It's not quite that simple. You see, I'm the newest of the four Princesses, and am still a Princess in training. So I'm not quite an equal with them."

"What's wrong with sending a letter to her about it though?"

"She has a lot on her plate right now. I'm sorry, but any other time I would do it. I just can't while...our situation is in play."

Silk looked Twilight in the eye and said, "Twilight, I'm a princess as well, technically. Not exactly one of the major ones, but I can still be considered one. Allow me to talk to Celestia."

"We have to wait. With...his uprising, there's too much on her mind right now. I'm sorry, but I just...can't."

**Chapter Complete. Yeah, not a very good one by comparison, but I'm just getting back into the swing here. I've been very busy as of late, and didn't have a lot of time to type. Anywho, forgive me and R&R AND ADIOS!**


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter XIX

_**I'm back! In Black! And white now! **_**Okay, sorry about that one. I just got back from vacation, so I'm still a little loopy from the relaxation, but I'm back now. And...wow, I'm touched guys. I knew I had people who liked my stories. But I didn't know I had people who claimed to be my fans. Wow...THE FIC IS THE THING!**

_"__Marshal, you are useless!"_

Chain was kneeling down in front of his master, a huge scar of a gash was on his side. "What could I do? She's practically a goddess, and I'm weaker than everything now."

_"__True. It seems to me that your services are no longer needed." _The shadow's horn began to glow a shade of red, the same color that engulfed Chain's body.

Soon, he began to feel agony throughout his whole body. "NO! PLEASE!"

_"__Yes, beg for your life. I like my prey scared. It strengthens me so much."_

"I ask for one more chance. Just one."

_"__I'm afraid I'll have to deny your request, Marshal."_

The pain began to flow through every vein and muscle in his body. "One...More...Chance..."

_"__My, you are determined to hold onto your useless life, aren't you?" _He lift his head, breaking the spell. _"I am allowing you to leave with your life, Marshal. But if I ever catch you in my presence again, it will end."_

Chain didn't need a second warning.

**Meanwhile, in Everfree...**

Jack, Blaze, and Fleet continued through the forest in a search for the rest of the group. Jack was using a 'spell' he came up with called _soul-sight_. It allowed him to actually see the souls of the ponies and/or people within the forest. Though, it didn't take long for Blaze to...uh...get unentertained.

"Okay, who wants to play a game?"

"Blaze, not now."

"Oh, but it's a great game. It's called 'Guess What I Am.' Okay, I'll start. I'm something that is five letters long and also the name of a piece of wood."

"Bored?"

"WE HAVE A WINNER!"

"Blaze, you know as well as I do that we need to find the others to finish my training."

"But I'm SOOOO BORED!"

"I realize this. But I don't know why Chaos would just allow me to go back to town or something."

"I'll tell you what. If you can find your way back, you can go back. Or, if you would rather just go back with us, it could save you a bit of a heartbreak."

He pondered this a few seconds before he turned back to Jack and said, "Why don't you just magic me back to town?"

"Because I'm not all together sure how to do that!"

"Stop!" Fleet shouted at them, a few flames coming off of her mane. This caught their attention. "Please, stop yelling. I can't take it."

Jack wrapped a wing around her. "What's wrong, Fleet? You seem to be distracted."

"It's...nothing. It's nothing."

"No, it really isn't. Tell me what's going on."

"Jack, we don't have time for this."

"Shut up, Tristan! Please, Fleet, tell me."

She wrapped herself close in her wings. "It happened so long ago. I was...I used to be in the service of...a horrible stallion. I watched him do many terrible things to innocent ponies. He dictated over them in such a way that you could feel the darkness in the area. He forced his special task force to learn magic, so that nopony could get in or out."

Jack felt his anger flare as she said this. "Sombra."

"No! Please, don't say his name."

"I'm sorry Fleet, but I have something very disturbing to tell you. Sombra is returning."

Her face went stiff with fear. Then, there was a scream from off in the forest. Without a second thought, Blaze picked her up and said, "As much as I would like to continue this talk, it appears that we need to leave."

The trio began flying through the trees to the other side of the forest, where this scene was unfolding. At the beginning of the training, Chaos made sure that he and Aerial would always be at in the same area. A little time latter, they ran into Fluttershy, who Chaos needed to calm down.

After a while of running around aimlessly, a shadow seemed to engulfed them where they stood. This shadow forced Chaos back into his human state. _"It was only a matter of time until we met again, Angel of Death."_

Walker drew his swords. "You say that like we've met before. Show yourself!"

That is when the evil stallion revealed his shadow figure. In fact, it was the shadow that surrounded them that withdrew and became Sombra's body. _"Oh, but we have. Last time you were here, Twilight forced you into a deep sleep before forcing you into service. In these dreams, I was reborn. I guess that makes you responsible for my return."_

"But...that was two years ago! How is this possible?"

_"__You are a being of immense power. Only you could awaken me. However, only my grandson can restore me to my full power."_

"When did you figure that out?"

_"__Soon enough. It can be only him, seeing as he has the Amulet."_

This made Walker laugh. "That Amulet won't do you any good. Once he has finished training under me, he will be strong enough to take you and your empire down."

_"__Do you believe so? Then I just need to make sure that he can't finish his training under you!"_

He threw back his head, forcing a blood-red aura towards the human, knocking him into a nearby tree. This is what made Fluttershy scream. "Oh, that's how you want to play it, huh?" He held out his hand and shouted, _"OMEGA ELE KAI!" _A beam of orange energy shot forth from him towards the dark unicorn.

Sombra chuckled as he parried with the same red aura. _"It has been a while since I had taken part in a proper magic duel."_

"It's not magic. It's miracles!" His energy grew larger and seemed to become stronger than Sombra's.

_"__Oh, but it is still a matter of the more skill a being has."_ This is when Sombra begin to turn the table. Walker's beam began to actually turn into Sombra's, with nothing he could do.

At this point, Jack, Blaze, and Fleet ran into the scene right behind Fluttershy and Areial.. Walker threw one look at them before he thrust the last of his beam in front of him and then moved his hands behind him. _"MANI RHINOUS!"_ The thrust of energy sent them back to the town as Sombra's aura reached him and sent him to the ground.

_"__And you still just as weak now as you were then. Now, it is time for you to end!" _He strengthened the power of his spell, lifting Walker as he began to writhe in agony.

"NO! I won't let you force him out!"

_"__It appears that you have no choice, human. Good-bye."_

"Enough!" Overhead, the sky flashed brightly, blinding the two on the ground. When the light receded, Celestia was standing in between the two of them. "This ends now, Sombra."

Sombra laughed when she said this. _"Is that so, Princess? It appears that may be right. You're reign is coming to an end."_

"What are you talking about? You know full well that you are not at full strength yet."

_"__No, but I am!" _Celestia and Sombra turned to see a black cloaked human standing in Walker's place. He smirked at them with a devious grin. _"Princess, it seems to me that you are outnumbered in this case. The time of reckoning is near. Good-bye, Celestia."_

He held out his hand towards the Princess as Sombra readied another spell. It was then that she reacted by pulling out the small device Walker had given her. She threw this small grenade-like item at him with a flick of the hoof.

The device struck him in the chest, which caused it to detonate. The explosion engulfed his body in a blue ball, which imploded back upon itself. When it was done, Walker had vanished. It was then that Celestia turned back to Sombra in time to block his spell. "You will never be reborn, Sombra."

_"__We shall see. My grandson will make the final decision. So long." _He lifted his horn and vanished from sight.

This left Celestia standing there, hoping for the safety of her world. "Jack, please. You must do what's right."

**Chapter Complete. Yeah, not my best work, but hey, stuff happens that makes me not do my best, like...stuff. Oh and I've been watching a youtuber by the name of PeanutButterGamer. Anyone else notice something that it took GPB a while to figure out about PBG? Yep. That's what I thought. Anywho, R&R AND ADIOS!**


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